Shocked Aspirants Planning To Move Court

A fresh controversy over the appointment of APPSC Group I officials has erupted with the commission denying jobs to 52 candidates who had cleared the written test as well as the interview for posts in the mines and geology department. While the commission first selected 173 candidates, 52 of them were later intimated that their ranks had been revised as the officials discovered an ‘error’ that had crept into the first evaluation. The candidates were later told that they had not made it to the final list.
    The 52 candidates, whose Group I dreams were shattered when the order was issued on September 19 (11 days after the first list was out), are now planning to move court. According to them, not only did the commission remove them from the final list, but it chose 71 new candidates in their place in the second list which was released on September 19. The candidates said that such unprecedented alteration of the final list raised doubts about the fairness of the selection process.
    It was only in 2010 that APPSC faced criticism for favouring certain candidates over others in the interview. The commission then chairman, Venkatrami Reddy, was accused of granting higher marks to candidates from non-Telangana regions. Candidates had also approached court from 2005 to 2010 against certain appointments made by the commission.
    The commission called for applications to vacant posts in the mining department in 2008 and conducted the examination on May 25 this year. The interviews were also held from September 5 to 8 after which a final list of selected candidates was released. This list was later changed by adding 71 new candidates and removing 52 candidates whose names were there in the first list. The order was issued by Poonam Malakondaiah, secretary, APPSC. The new accusations have come at a time when the commission is under a complete revamp under the charge of retired IAS officer, Rachel Chatterjee.
    The candidates who were denied posts in the department said that they have petitioned the chief minister to look into the irregularities in the appointment. “The current list is definitely flawed. I secured 168/330 marks in the examination and was the 30+ rank holder (general category) in the first list. In the second list I was removed,” said G Sudhakar. Sudhakar said that he had also made it to the reservation category list meant for SC candidates also, but in the second list he failed to get a post under general or reservation posts. Candidates said that the commission should give them a detailed explanation on why changes were made in the list. APPSC should also reveal who got benefited by the second list, candidates said.