HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad High Court on Friday stayed the declaration of results of Telangana State - State Eligibility Test (TS-SET) 2017 for recruitment and promotion of lecturers/assistant professors in degree colleges and Universities of the state.
Justice M S Ramachandra Rao was passing this interim order in a petition by E Dathatri, a research scholar challenging the action of the respondent authorities in modifying the eligibility criteria after conducting the test.
Petitioner’s counsel Bura Ramesh brought to the notice that the Osmania University had issued the notification on Feb 16 and conducted the test on June 11. After conducting the examination, the varsity issued a notification on June 29 modifying the old criteria. The counsel submitted that as per the old criteria, the respondent authorities shall select 15 pc of the candidates under reserved categories who have cleared step 1 with minimum 35 marks in three papers separately and general category candidates who obtained 40 pc marks in Paper I and Paper II and 50 pc marks in Paper III. As per the modified criteria, respondents have decided to select only 6 pc of the candidates who appeared for the exam and they need not clear step 1 and that all 29 subjects are given equal importance, he noted.
He urged the court to declare the action of respondent authorities in violation of Articles 14, 16, 19(g), 21 and 300A of the Constitution and direct them to declare results as per the old criteria. The judge stayed declaration of results and said modifying the old criteria after conduct of the test amounts to ‘changing the rules of game after it was started’. In view of the SC order, such a decision is ‘impermissible’, the judge said.The judge directed OU to not declare results till further orders and adjourned the case and asking respondent authorities to file a counter affidavit.