TSPSC Group-1 exam: State cites budget issues for lack of photos on hall tickets, biometric checks at exam centres

Hyderabad: The High Court Single Bench of Justice P Madhavi Devi posed a volley of questions on Thursday to the Telangana State Public Service Commission secretary regarding the security check of candidates who appeared for the Group-1 preliminary examination held on June 11, 2023.

The questions asked by the court included details such as why the candidates were not checked through a biometric system, and why the hall tickets issued to the candidates did not display their hall ticket numbers and their photographs. The judge deemed these parameters essential for screening ineligible persons appearing for the examination and also to avoid impersonation.

Justice P. Madhavi Devi sought to know from the TSPSC why the TSPSC could not put all the above security measures in place while holding the Group - 1 preliminary exam on June 11, whereas the same measures were in place on October 16, 2022 (date on which the Group-1 prelims was conducted and cancelled).

Justice Madhavi Devi brushed aside the contention of M Ramgopal, standing counsel for TSPSC, who informed the court that the TSPSC has to shell out Rs 1.5 crore to subject the candidate through the biometric system and re-printing nearly 10 lakh hall tickets would cost the exchequer huge money.

In addition, even if all the hall tickets are printed with a photograph and the hall ticket number, and if such candidates do not appear for the exam, then the hall tickets would be wasted.

Moreover, the counsel said, if the hall ticket is without the hall ticket number and photograph, the invigilator would verify the authenticity of the candidate after checking the candidate’s valid ID proofs such as the Aadhaar card, PAN, voter ID card etc.

Ramgopal further stated that taking a decision on the type of security measure comes under the discretion of the TSPSC. He said out of 3.8 lakh candidates, who appeared for the Group-1 preliminary examination, no one had any grievance against the TSPSC’s security measures, other than the three petitioners.

Justice P Madhavi Devi, after hearing the submissions of the standing counsel for the TSPSC said, “The TSPSC is obligated to put all security measures in place to ensure that the examination is conducted in a transparent and fair manner. It is the statutory duty of the TSPSC to provide all those things.”

TSPSC is collecting fees from the candidates to put all these security measures in place, and money is not the criteria here. What will the TSPSC do with all the money it saves by not putting the security measures in place, Justice Madhavi Devi asked the state.

The judge was adjudicating the writ petition filed by Mr B Prashanth and two others from Siddipet and Jogulamba Gadwal Districts, Group-1 aspirants, seeking a direction to cancel the recently held Group-1 preliminary and redo the examination, as there were many lacunae found while holding the examination.

A Giridhar Rao, counsel for the petitioners informed the court that the TSPSC’s action in not printing the hall ticket numbers, and photographs is encouraging impersonation. This means that any person can write the examination and the absence of a biometric system raises serious doubts about the TSPSC allowing the invigilator to decide the authenticity of the candidate. This amount to nothing but doubting the sanctity of the TSPSC because the invigilator can permit any person to write the examination.

After the arguments, the case was adjourned for 3 weeks.