Andhra Pradesh High Court clears Group-1 exam to be held from September 25

By S A Ishaqui

Hyderabad, Sept 23 :The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday allowed the AP Public Service Commission to conduct Group I examinations as scheduled, by refusing to stay the notification issued for the recruitment of 110 posts. The examinations are scheduled to be held from Sept. 25 to October.

This decision sets the stage for a major showdown between the state government and Telangana supporters.

While partially allowing the writ petitions challenging the notification, a division bench comprising Justice V.V.S. Rao and Justice K. G. Shankar directed that the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission allow the 1004 left out candidates who secured 83 marks out of 150 in the screening test, to appear for the main examination.

The court refused the plea to add additional vacant posts to the existing list and said that the examination should be conducted for the posts announced at the time of notification. The court observed that the APPSC should continue the cut-off mark of 83 for the main examination to put an end to further controversy.

Referring to the controversy with regard to cut-off marks, the bench said, “We may reiterate that at the stage of screening test, all the candidates who secured the cut-off mark, whether it is 150 out of 150 or 83 out of 150, are one class, because it only enables them to participate in the written test.”

The bench made it clear that if any rule, government order or decision of the APPSC, or the recruitment notification, requires a time gap between the screening test and main test, then any such condition, given the peculiar facts and circumstances of these cases, shall not be applicable to the main exam to be held on September 25.

While the Telangana supporters are demanding postponement of exams in view of the Sakala Janula Samme, the government has made it clear that there is no question of postponement at his stage. The Telangana leaders have threatened to disrupt the exam to be held in centres in Hyderabad and Warangal in the Telangana region if the government remains adamant.