VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Wednesday directed the APPSC to file an affidavit clarifying whether the then APPSC Chairman Gautam Sawang had placed the decision to conduct manual evaluation of Group-I Main examination answer scripts in Vijayawada before the Commission’s board and what decision the board had taken on it.
A division bench comprising Justice Donadi Ramesh and Justice Avadhanam Hari Haranatha Sharma also sought details on whether any proceedings had been issued cancelling the evaluation process conducted at the Hailand resorts.
The bench passed the orders after hearing arguments for the third consecutive day in a batch of appeals challenging the cancellation of the Group-I Main examination over alleged irregularities in the manual evaluation of answer scripts.
The court adjourned the matter to October 6 after counsel representing candidates who were not selected completed their arguments. Counsel appearing for candidates who secured jobs through the Group-I examination will present their replies during the next hearing.
Earlier, Senior Counsel Guda Shiva and advocate Sodum Anvesha, appearing for the unsuccessful candidates, submitted that the evaluation was conducted in Vijayawada without a resolution of the APPSC board, which was contrary to the prescribed procedure.
They also pointed out that the SIT had found extensive corrections on OMR valuation slips.
The bench observed that, according to the SIT investigation report, the answer scripts were intact and securely preserved, while the changes were confined to the OMR sheets.
The court asked Shiva to suggest an appropriate course of action for dealing with the issue based on the SIT findings.
Shiva submitted that the court could consider fresh evaluation under the supervision of a retired High Court judge. Alternatively, a re-examination could be conducted.