Hyderabad, October 21 (IANS). The main examinations of Group-1 conducted by Telangana State Public Service Commission (TGSPSC) started on Monday. Earlier, the Supreme Court had refused to ban their event.
The Supreme Court refused to stay the examination, dismissing petitions by some candidates challenging the Telangana High Court order. After this, examinations started at 46 centers in the afternoon.
A section of candidates have been protesting for the last few days demanding postponement of the examination. Their demand is that the conduct of the examination should be postponed until the High Court gives its verdict on their petitions challenging Government Order (GO) 29. The government had changed the reservation rules through that order.
Opposition parties, BRS and BJP, have supported his demand.
After the Supreme Court refused to pass an interim order to stop the examination, TGSPSC conducted the examination to fill 563 Group-1 posts in various departments of the state government.
The candidates, who had reached the examination centers before the scheduled time of 2 pm, were eagerly waiting for the order of the Supreme Court.
When it became clear that the Supreme Court had rejected the petitions, the authorities conducted the examination at all 46 centers in Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medchal Malkajgiri districts.
A total of 31,383 candidates have applied for the exam, which will run till October 27.
These candidates have qualified for Group-1 Main Examination out of about 3.02 lakh candidates who appeared in the preliminary examination held in June.
Police had made elaborate arrangements to prevent any kind of protest or untoward incident at the examination centres.
The officials were checking the hall tickets of the candidates before allowing them entry into the designated centres.
On the first day, candidates took the General English test. The exam will continue till 5 pm.
The officials had closed the gates just an hour before the start of the examination. Late comers were not given entry.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has extended his best wishes to the candidates appearing for Group-1 examination.
He advised the candidates to write the examination with full concentration without any worries.
The Chief Minister expressed hope that the candidates will pass the examination and become partners in the reconstruction of Telangana.
Group-1 Main Examination is being conducted for the first time after the formation of Telangana. Last time this examination was conducted in 2011.
Group-1 preliminary examination in 2022 and 2023 has been surrounded by controversies due to paper leak and legal battle due to non-compliance of rules and irregularities.
Keeping this in view, TGSPSC has made concrete arrangements. Chief Secretary Shanti Kumari has asked all the officers not to leave scope for any kind of irregularity.
–IANS
AKS/AKJ
