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TSPSC’s Group-1 Exam Saga: Cancellations and Disappointments

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In a series of unprecedented events, the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) has left aspirants and the political landscape in turmoil. The Group-1 Preliminary examination, which began its rollercoaster journey in October 2022, has seen multiple cancellations and legal wrangling, raising questions about the state’s administrative competence. High court verdict today to cancel the exam again become a topic of debate.

The Initial Cancellation due to paper leakage scandal:

In a surprising turn of events in March 2023, the TSPSC declared the cancellation of the Group-1 Preliminary examination, initially held on October 16, 2022. This decision came in response to a damning report submitted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) following a probe into question paper leaks. The fallout of this revelation was a blow to the hopes and dreams of thousands of aspirants who had diligently prepared for the exam. The paper leakage scam affected not only the Group 1 exam but also the other exams like AEE and DAO.

The Rescheduled Examination:

To rectify the situation, the TSPSC swiftly announced the rescheduled date for the cancelled Group-1 examination, setting it for June 11, 2023. This move aimed to provide a fair chance to aspirants who had been affected by the question paper leakage scandal. The anticipation and pressure were palpable as aspirants geared up for their second shot at the prestigious examination.

The Shocking High Court Verdict today

However, the Group-1 exam saga took another twist today when the High Court of Telangana delivered a surprising verdict. The court ruled that the exam held on June 11, 2023, was invalid due to a procedural error – biometric data collection was not implemented during the test. This shocking turn of events has left approximately two lakh candidates who appeared for the examination in a state of disarray and disappointment.

Implications for Aspirants and Politics :

The High Court’s verdict has cast a shadow of uncertainty over the futures of these aspirants, who had invested their time and effort into preparing for this highly competitive exam. The disappointment among the aspirant community is palpable, and the chaos resulting from these repeated cancellations and rescheduling has raised concerns about the TSPSC’s ability to conduct fair and efficient examinations.

At the same time unemployment is always a serious issue that affects the prospects of the incumbent governments. It is expected that this cancellation of exam will definitely have impact to some extent on the BRS government in the upcoming elections.

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Tense Situation Unfolds at TSPSC Office Amidst Exam Postponement Demands

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The atmosphere at the TSPSC (Telangana State Public Service Commission) office was charged with tension today as a multitude of candidates, along with student unions and political groups, attempted to surround the premises. The focal demand of the protest was the postponement of the Group 2 examination to a more suitable date. Here are the details.

Issue from Exam aspirants point of View:

For several years, students and unemployed individuals in Telangana have been earnestly preparing for competitive exams. Although there were relatively fewer notifications released in the past four years, a surge of notifications and exam schedules occurred in the final year of the ruling government. The contentious issue emerged due to the Telangana Residential Educational Institutions Recruitment Board’s decision to conduct Gurukula exams from August 1 to 22, followed by the Group 2 exams a mere week later on August 29 and 30. Furthermore, Junior Lecturer (JL) exams were also slated for the same month. In the wake of these consecutive exams, candidates found themselves grappling with inadequate preparation time. Despite expressing their concerns, the TSPSC remained firm in maintaining the existing schedule. Numerous student organizations and unions have collectively appealed to the TSPSC for a rescheduling. As the impending exam dates drew closer, thousands of Group 2 aspirants converged at the TSPSC office premises to stage a protest. Extending their solidarity, political parties like the Congress and Telangana Jana Samithi came forth to support the candidates. The protest saw participation from prominent figures such as Professor Kodandaram and Addanki Dayakar.

Issue from TSPSC point of View:

Simultaneously, the TSPSC grapples with its own challenges in finalizing examination schedules. The commission aims to conduct exams on holidays to minimize disruption to schools and colleges, which are used as examination centers. However, boards getting approvals for multiple exams in the last one year has proven to be a hurdle. Allegations have arisen that the ruling parties are influencing boards to issue multiple notifications in the last one year of their ruling instead of spacing them in the span of 5 years of the ruling.

Currently, the situation remains tense at the TSPSC office, with law enforcement facing challenges in managing the crowd and redirecting traffic.

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TSPSC chairman, secretary appear before ED in paper leak case

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In a key development in the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) question paper leak case, its chairman Janardhan Reddy and secretary Anitha Ramachandran on Monday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The ED officials were questioning the duo at ED’s regional office here. The agency is gathering information on key aspects relating to the paper leak, focusing on financial transactions. The statements of both the officials will be recorded by the central agency.

Last month, the ED took up investigation into money laundering allegations in the TSPSC question paper leak case

The ED had earlier summoned TSPSC section officer Shankar Laxmi in connection with the probe into the alleged illegal money transactions in the paper leak scam.

Shankar Laxmi is incharge of the confidential section of TSPSC, from where the exam question papers were allegedly stolen by Praveen Kumar and Rajasekhar Reddy, the employees of TSPSC and prime accused in the case.

The ED has also questioned both Praveen Kumar and Rajasekhar Reddy in Chanchalguda Jail.

During the interrogation, the agency recorded the statements of both the accused about the money they allegedly collected from those who obtained the leaked question papers. The agency suspects that the amount they collected is involved in money laundering and is unaccounted for.

The central agency had registered a Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) and took up investigation following reports and complaints about huge money changing hands.

During the questioning of the accused and others in the case, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Telangana police had reportedly found illegal transactions to the tune of Rs38 lakh.

The TSPSC scam came to light on March 12 which led to the arrest of 15 accused besides the cancellation of the Group 1 preliminary examination, Assistant Engineers, AEE, and DAO exams.

Praveen Kumar, who worked as an assistant section officer at TSPSC and Rajashekar Reddy, a network admin at TSPSC, had allegedly stolen question papers of some exams from a computer in a confidential section of the Commission and sold it to other accused.

The SIT has so far arrested 19 persons in the case.

The exam paper leak case created a sensation in Telangana as opposition parties Congress and BJP blamed the BRS government for the leak that affected lakhs of unemployed in the state.

The SIT has also examined TSPS chairman Janardhan Reddy, secretary Anita Ramachandran and member B. Linga Reddy.

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Telangana HC seeks report from SIT in TSPSC paper leak case

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The Telangana High Court on Friday refused to pass any orders on a petition seeking probe by the CBI into the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) exam paper leak case.

The court directed the SIT to submit a report on June 5 on the status of the investigation. The court observed that the probe by the SIT is somewhat satisfactory but not progressing swiftly.

It was hearing the petition of NSUI leader Venkat Balmoor, seeking direction for a CBI probe. The court made it clear that at this juncture it can’t pass any orders.

The court also wanted to know how long SIT would take to complete the investigation. It remarked that even after a month-and-a-half, the SIT has not completed the investigation.

Advocate General B. S. Prasad informed the court that the SIT is waiting for the report from Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL).

SIT counsel conveyed to the court that the SIT has questioned TSPSC chairman, secretary and a member.

The court was told that the investigation was on under the supervision of Hyderabad police commissioner.

The judge wanted to know if SIT questioned all outsourcing employees of TSPSC and how many people benefited from paper leak.

The court directed SIT to submit a report on June 5 on the progress made in the investigation and adjourned the hearing.

Last week, SIT had arrested a man and his son from Mahabubnagar, taking the number of persons arrested so far to 19.

The TSPSC scam came to light on March 12 which led to the arrest of 15 accused besides the cancellation of the Group 1 preliminary examination, Assistant Engineers, AEE, and DAO exams.

Praveen Kumar, who worked as an assistant section officer at TSPSC and Rajashekar Reddy, a network admin at ATSPSC, had allegedly stolen question papers of some exams from a computer in a confidential section of the Commission and sold it to other accused.

The SIT had earlier informed the Telangana High Court that it had arrested 17 accused in the case since March 13. It also informed the court that it was making efforts to arrest another accused from New Zealand.

The exam paper leak case created a sensation in Telangana as opposition parties Congress and BJP blamed the BRS government for the leak that affected lakhs of unemployed in the state.

The SIT has also examined TSPS chairman Janardhan Reddy, secretary Anita Ramchandran and member B. Linga Reddy.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is also probing money laundering charges in the case. Last week, it questioned Praveen Kumar and Rajashekar Reddy.

The ED officials are believed to have questioned the two accused based on the information obtained from Shankara Lakshmi, incharge of the confidential section room at TSPSC. She had appeared before the ED on April 11 and was grilled for over 10 hours.

Praveen and Rajasekhar are said to have stolen question papers of various exams conducted by the TSPSC for recruitment in government departments from computer in the confidential section.

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ED to question key accused in TSPSC paper leak case

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In a significant development in the Telangana State Public Service (TSPSC) exam paper leak case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has entered the scene to question tge key accused.

The central agency filed a petition in the Nampally court, seeking permission to question Praveen Kumar and Rajasekhar Reddy, both suspended employees of the TSPSC who are currently in judicial custody.

As there were allegations of money laundering, the ED moved the court to record the statement of the accused under section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The agency submitted to the court that it has the powers to take up investigation under Sections 48 and 49.

The ED has registered an Enforcement Case Information Report, based on the media reports, information in public domain and preliminary inputs from intelligence.

The court was told that a four-member team of ED officials will record the statements of the accused.

The ED also sought court’s direction to Chanchalguda Jail superintendent to allow laptops, printer and other electronic gadgets into the jail for recording the statements.

The agency also mentioned in its petition that it had written to the Central Crime Station (CCS) on March 23 seeking documents and details of the case. It sought a direction to the police to hand over the case details.

The ED has also issued notices to two TSPSC officials, including confidential section officer Shankara Lakshmi. They have been asked to appear for questioning on April 12 and 13. The accused had stolen the question papers from Lakshmi’s computer.

Meanwhile, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Hyderabad police probing the paper leak on Tuesday submitted its investigation report to the Telangana High Court in a sealed cover. Hearing the petition of NSUI leader Balamoori Venkat, the court had directed the SIT to submit the report.

The Advocate General submitted to the court that out of 18 accused, 17 have been arrested by the SIT while efforts were on to arrest another accused who is in New Zealand.

The petitioner’s counsel argued that he has no trust in SIT which works under the state government. He also submitted to the court that the SIT investigation is confined to few lower-rank employees of the TSPSC. Stating that the ED is talking about transactions from abroad, he said investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) alone can bring out the facts.

The court asked the Advocate General whether candidates were allowed to appear in the examinations as per rules and sought details like the name of the agency which was outsourced the task of conducting the exams.

The paper leak issue rocked the TSPSC last month. Two employees broke into a computer system in the confidential section of TSPSC, stole question papers, and shared them with others.

The TSPSC has cancelled four examinations conducted by it including the preliminary exam conducted for recruitment to Group-1 posts in the government departments.

The SIT has also recorded the statements of TSPSC Chairman, Secretary and a member and also questioned several candidates who had scored good marks in Group-1 exam.

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ED grilling of Kavitha, TSPSC paper leak fresh ammo for BJP, Cong

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By stating that the people of Telangana have confidence only in the BJP, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to boost the self-confidence of the party which has been working aggressively to capture power in the state, where Assembly elections are due later this year.

“In the South, we have always been strong in Karnataka and in Telangana people now have confidence only in one party, BJP, and in Andhra Pradesh also people are looking towards us,” Modi said on March 28 while inaugurating a residential complex of the party in New Delhi.

Modi asserted this at a time when the saffron party is on an offensive to take political mileage from the recent developments, mainly the questioning of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s daughter K. Kavitha in the Delhi excise policy case and the exam paper leak scam that has rocked Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC).

Launching a bitter attack on the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) over Kavitha’s alleged involvement, the BJP state leadership is working aggressively to use this issue to its advantage.

Telanagana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar and other leaders are citing it to justify their attack on the Chief Minister’s family over corruption.

Alleged large-scale corruption in construction of irrigation projects besides family rule by KCR, as the Chief Minister is popularly known, had been the major issues for BJP in its attack on the BRS.

Since BRS leaders had been challenging the opposition to show evidence of corruption, the questioning of Kavitha by the ED is being projected as a big achievement of the BJP .

Even before the BRS could recover from this shock, the TSPSC exam question paper leak has given the opposition BJP and Congress a major issue to attack the state’s ruling party in the run up to the forthcoming Assembly polls.

By staging protests over the paper leak and pointing fingers at key government figures, both the BJP and Congress appear to be vying with each other to draw political mileage from the issue.

Both the major opposition parties are going all out to politically cash in on the unease among government job aspirants caused by the cancellation of a few exams conducted recently by TSPSC due to the paper leak scam.

The protests by student and youth groups over the last two weeks has already put pressure on the BRS and the BJP and Congress have added to this by alleging involvement of top guns including BRS Minister K.T. Rama Rao.

Sensing the political dividend they can draw from the issue, BJP state chief Bandi Sanjay and Telangana Congress president A. Revanth Reddy alleged KTR’s involvement. They are demanding a probe by the sitting judge of the high court or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Though KTR has served legal notices to both and asked them to apologise or be ready to face defamation suit of Rs 100 crore, Revanth and Sanjay remained defiant.

“Defamation notice looks like an unending craving for more money. If KCR’s son’s reputation and image were worth Rs 100 crore, how much money should be paid to 30 lakh unemployed whose future is in jeopardy due to misrule of BRS government?” asked Bandi Sanjay.

Since the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Hyderabad Police investigating the case found involvement of several employees of TSPSC in leakage of question papers including the paper of Group-I Prelims, the BJP and Congress leaders alleged that the accused have links with those holding key positions in TSPSC and the government.

They have dubbed the SIT as an attempt by the BRS government to shield the big fish.

Going a step ahead, Revanth Reddy has even lodged a complaint with the ED and sought a probe into alleged money laundering in the paper leak scam. He alleged that there were huge cash transactions including through hawala route.

Political analysts believe BRS, which has been trying to highlight the Telangana model of development, has suddenly gone on the back foot.

Aiming for a hat-trick of victories to create a new record in south India, BRS is highlighting the state’s achievements under its nine-year-rule. From highest per capita income growth rate in the country and one of the highest GSDP growth rate to building world’s biggest lift irrigation project Kaleshwaram and implementing a plethora of welfare schemes for all sections of people, the ruling party is trying to tell electorate how this development model is attracting attention of states across the country.

KCR’s move to turn TRS into BRS is seen as a strategy to build a narrative around Telangana development for seeking another public mandate.

However, BRS leader Dasoju Sravan claims that TRS has been transformed into BRS only to fulfil the aspirations of people of all states in India and not for narrow political reasons.

“Whole country is looking towards KCR’s visionary leadership and people from other states are demanding their governments to introduce the schemes being implemented by the KCR government in their states,” he said.

The alleged discrimination by the BJP-led government at the Centre towards Telangana is also a big issue for the BRS.

BRS leaders miss no opportunity to target the Modi government for not fulfilling any of the commitments made to Telangana in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014.

For the BJP, KCR’s unfulfilled promises made in the 2018 elections will be a key issue. Slamming BRS for its alleged appeasement politics and its friendship with All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), the saffron party is also raking up controversial issues like Hyderabad liberation day and four per cent reservation for minorities to achieve polarization on communal lines.

From winning just one Assembly seat in 2018 to becoming principal contestant to the ruling BRS in 2023, the BJP has seen a dramatic rise in its political fortunes in Telangana.

After winning four Lok Sabha seats in 2019, the BJP continued its forward march and consolidated its position by winning two Assembly by-elections and by posting an impressive performance in Greater Hyderabad’s municipal elections.

In the 2018 Assembly elections held a few months before they were originally scheduled, TRS had retained power by winning 88 seats. BJP could win just one seat. It finished second in only nine constituencies and in most of the seats its candidates forfeited the deposit.

However, BJP sprang a surprise in Lok Sabha elections held a few months later. The party not only retained Secunderabad but also wrested three other seats from TRS — Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Adilabad.

Two wins in by-elections had also given a boost to BJP. However, BJP’s hopes to score a hat-trick of by-election victories in Munugode were dashed by BRS in November last year.

Following the by-poll victories, the saffron party started to see a realistic chance for itself in the coming election and it is for this reason that the party is pumping in all its energy here.

Hectic activity in the party camp during the last few months, a series of visits by Prime Minister Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president J.P. Nadda and several union ministers indicate the importance the party is giving to Telangana.

The BJP’s emergence has been at the cost of the Congress party. After a humiliating defeat in both 2014 and 2018 despite claiming credit for carving out Telangana, the Grand Old Party appears to be struggling to remain relevant in state politics.

Reeling under defections of several leaders and legislators in the last nine years and crushing defeats in almost all by-elections, the party looks to be in disarray. Infighting and lack of any charismatic figure have added to the woes of the Congress.

The Bharat Jodo Yatra of Rahul Gandhi brought some enthusiasm to lift the spirit of demoralised cadre and the state Congress chief Revanth Reddy is trying to keep the momentum, the party faces an acid test in this year’s Assembly polls.

The Congress has been trying to impress upon people that BRS and BJP are the same. Its leaders often say the two parties are friends in Delhi but engage in shadow boxing in the state to hoodwink people. It is trying to expose the failures of both Modi and KCR governments.

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TSPSC paper leak: SIT begins questioning three accused

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The Special Investigation Team (SIT), probing the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) question paper leak case on Wednesday began questioning three more accused in the case.

The SIT officials took custody of Shameem, Damera Ramesh Kumar and N. Suresh after a court sent them to police custody.

Shameem and Ramesh are employees of TSPSC while Suresh is a former outsourcing employee. They were arrested on March 23 and the police had found that they obtained the question paper of Group I prelims from the main accused.

The questioning of the trio began a day after police custody of four accused, including Praveen Kumar and Rajasekhar Reddy, both TSPSC employees, came to an end.

The SIT also grilled Lavdyavath Dhakya and Rajeshwar Nayak for three days. The four accused were sent back to jail after they were produced before the court.

A total of 15 people have so far been arrested in the case which came to light on March 13 with the arrest of nine accused. On Monday, the SIT arrested the 15th accused Thirupathaiah, who had helped Dhakya in finding the buyers for the Assistant Engineer (Civil) exam paper.

Praveen, who worked as an assistant section officer at TSPSC and Rajashekar Reddy, a network admin at TSPSC, had allegedly stolen question papers of some exams from a computer in a confidential section of the Commission and sold it to other accused.

Along with Praveen and Rajasehkar, the police had arrested Praveen’s friend Renuka, a teacher and her husband Lavdyavath Dhakya, who took the papers and sold it to others with the help of Kethavath Srinivas, a police constable from Medchal.

The TSPSC scam came to light on March 12 which led to the arrest of 15 accused besides the cancellation of the Group 1 preliminary examination, Assistant Engineers, AEE, and DAO exams.

The TSPSC also postponed the written examination for the posts of Town Planning and Building Overseer and Veterinary Assistant Surgeon.

Meanwhile, the TSPSC rescheduled the written examination for the post of Horticulture Officer, which was originally scheduled to be held on April 4. The exam will now be conducted on June 17.

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Apologise or face Rs 100 cr defamation case, KTR warns Congress, BJP leaders

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Telangana’s Minister for Industries and Information Technology, K.T. Rama Rao, on Tuesday served legal notice to state Congress chief Revanth Reddy and BJP president Bandi Sanjay over their allegations against him in the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) paper leak case, asking them to withdraw their allegations and tender a public apology or face defamation suit to the tune of Rs 100 crore.

KTR’s lawyer sent legal notices to Reddy and Sanjay, stating that they cast aspersions on the minister and damaged his reputation through their their ‘false’, ‘baseless’ and ‘defamatory’ statements.

The notice said that unless the leaders refrain from making such defamatory statements and tender a public apology, KTR will take forward the legal proceedings and file a defamation suit in the courts of competent jurisdiction.

Reddy and Sanjay were told that by levelling the allegation, they rendered themselves liable for both prosecution for an offence of defamation punishable under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code as defined under Section 499 of the IPC, and also made them liable for exemplary damage.

“Though the loss suffered by my client on account of your above said acts are incalculable and irreparable in terms of money, my client calculates damages at a token sum of Rs 1,00,00,00,000 (Rupees Hundred Crore only),” read the notice.

Both the leaders were asked to refrain from making any further derogatory/defamatory statements/imputations in any form against the minister and tender an unconditional apology forthwith by conducting similar press meets.

“Else my client shall be constrained to prosecute you for an offence of defamation apart from claiming damages to the tune of Rs 100 crore by initiating appropriate proceedings in the courts of competent jurisdiction holding you solely responsible for all the costs and consequences thereof,” it added.

KTR had earlier said that Reddy and Sanjay proved their ignorance by dragging the Telangana government and him into the issue of paper leakage without understanding the autonomous nature of the constitutionally constituted Public Service Commission.

Stating that there is a terrible conspiracy by both the BJP and the Congress to stall the entire recruitment process, KTR also said that Sanjay and Reddy had earlier termed Telangana government’s job notifications as a conspiracy and their comments that the youth should put aside their preparation and get into politics reflect the deceitful mentality of these leaders.

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Paper leak case: KTR sends legal notice to Cong, BJP leaders

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Telangana’s cabinet minister K.T. Rama Rao on Thursday sent legal notice to state Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy and BJP president Bandi Sanjay for making baseless allegations against him in the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) paper leak case.

KTR said he sent legal notice to Congress and BJP leaders for dragging his name into the paper leak case to drive political mileage and defame the government.

The minister slammed both the leaders for being ignorant of the fact TSPSC is a Constitutional body and it works independently.

KTR said TSPSC was formed to independently conduct exams for recruitment of government employees with no role for the government but ignoring these facts, Bandi Sanjay and Revanth Reddy hatched a conspiracy by projecting as if the exams are conducted by the government.

The minister made it clear that he would not tolerate such cheap attempts to drag his name into the case for political mileage.

The BRS leader said with their ridiculous statements in the past both Bandi Sanjay and Revanth Reddy had become a laughing stock in the public.

KTR alleged that Congress and BJP were spreading lies with a conspiracy to stop the process of recruitment of employees.

He said the same leaders had earlier stated that the job notifications issued by the government are a conspiracy and had appealed to youth to leave the exams and join them in politics.

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Paper leak case: Congress state chief demands SIT summon KTR

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Telangana Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy, who appeared before SIT probing the paper leak in Telangana State Public Service Commission exams, has demanded that the investigation team also summon state minister K.T. Rama Rao.

Revanth Reddy told the Special Investigation Team (SIT) officials that the minister has all the information about the case and hence he should be summoned to furnish the same.

He appeared before the SIT in response to the notice issued by it asking him to provide evidence in support of certain allegations made by him in the paper leak case.

“SIT is issuing notices to all those who are making allegations but why is it not issuing notice to minister KTR over his remarks. He has all the information,” Revanth Reddy told reporters after coming out of SIT office.

He said he told SIT official A. R. Srinivas that even before the questioning of the accused, KTR revealed everything.

Revanth Reddy said KTR stated that only two persons were involved in the paper leak case. The minister had mentioned the names of Praveen Kumar and Rajasekhar Reddy, both employees of the TSPSC.

The two accused were among nine persons arrested by police on March 13. The SIT arrested three more accused including two employees of the TSPSC on Thursday.

Meanwhile, SIT is reported to be contemplating action against Revanth Reddy for failing to provide evidence of his allegation that 100 candidates from one mandal secured over 100 marks in Group-1 exam.

The TPCC chief had also alleged that KTR’s personal assistant was involved in the paper leak. He claimed to have information that candidates belonging to a mandal from which KTR’s PA Tirupati, and the accused Rajashekar Reddy hail have secured over 100 marks in Group 1 prelims.

The SIT is said to be taking legal opinion for action against Revanth Reddy for making baseless allegations.

The investigation team has also issued notice to state BJP chief Bandi Sanjay for some allegations made by him. He, however, said he would not appear before SIT but would share information if the state government orders a judicial probe by a sitting judge of the high court.

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TSPSC paper leak: Congress urges Telangana Governor to use special powers

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The Congress in Telangana on Wednesday urged Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan to exercise her special powers to take action in the question paper leak that has rocked the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC).

A delegation of state Congress leaders led by state chief A. Revanth Reddy met the governor at Raj Bhavan and submitted a memorandum.

The delegation appealed to the Governor to exercise her special powers to dissolve the TSPSC until the investigation in the case is completed.

Revanth Reddy told reporters after the meeting that attempts were being made to shield TSPSC Chairman, Secretary and Section Officer, who should face the probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

He stated that under Article 317 of the Constitution, the Governor has the powers to suspend those in the TSPSC who are involved in the paper leak. “Only then can the probe into the case be transparent,” he said.

He said that the Governor told the delegation that she will look into the issue and take necessary action after seeking legal opinion.

Revanth Reddy said the paper leak has made the future of lakhs of unemployed youth uncertain. He reiterated the allegation that those holding top positions in the government were involved in the case.

The Congress leader alleged that employees of IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao’s department played a key role in the scam. “We urged the Governor to prosecute KTR as there are allegations that employees of KTR’s department have played a key role in this paper leak,” he said.

He reiterated the allegations a day before he is to appear before the SIT, which has summoned him to provide information in support of his allegations.

The SIT, which has stepped up the probe with the questioning of nine accused, has served notice to him.

Revanth Reddy had earlier claimed that KTR’s PA Tirupati and one of the key accused in the case, Rajasekhara Reddy, were friends. He also claimed that Tirupati helped Rajasekhar Reddy Aget a job in the Telangana State Technological Services (TSTS) on outsourcing basis and later ensured he lands a job in the TSPSC in a key role.

Rajasekhar Reddy is one of the two employees of the TSPSC who have been arrested by the police for question paper leak. A network expert, he allegedly copied question papers of several exams from confidential systems in the Commission and gave the same to Praveen Kumar, who then shared it with some aspirants for money.

The TSPSC had conducted the examination on March 5 for 833 vacancies of Assistant Engineer, Municipal Assistant Engineer, Technical Officer, and Junior Technical Officer in various engineering departments. A total of 55,000 candidates had written the exam.

However, the Commission suspected leakage of the question paper and lodged a complaint with the police.

On March 13, police arrested nine people including two employees of the TSPSC.

Following the arrests, the Commission cancelled the exam and also postponed other exams scheduled to be held later this month.

Amid doubts that the accused may have leaked question papers of some other exams, the Commission also cancelled three other exams including Group I Prelims.

Nearly 2.86 lakh aspirants of Group I posts had appeared in Group-I exam conducted on October 16, 2022.

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Telangana HC seeks report on investigation into TSPSC paper leak

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The Telangana High Court on Tuesday directed the state government to submit a status report on the investigation into Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) question paper leak.

The court gave the direction while the petitions filed by some Congress leaders seeking direction for a CBI inquiry into the case.

Observing that the petitioner has not submitted any evidence in support of his argument that proper investigation is not being conducted in this case, the court asked the government to submit status report on the investigation currently being conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Telangana Police.

The high court has given three weeks to the government to submit the statue report and adjourned the hearing to April 11.

Earlier, Advocate General B.S. Prasad submitted to the court that the investigations were being conducted in a proper manner.

Arguing that the petition is politically motivated, he said that the petitioner claimed that only two accused were arrested while the fact is that the SIT has arrested nine accused.

While adjourning the hearing, the court also directed the state government to file an affidavit.

The petitioners sought an inquiry into the role of Tirupati, the personal assistant of state minister K.T. Rama Rao.

Senior Supreme Court lawyer Vivek argued the case on behalf of the petitioners. He brought to the court’s notice that though the investigations are in preliminary stage, the minister stated that only two persons were involved in the paper leak.

Vivek told the court that there were many doubts about the manner in which the TSPSC conducted the exam. He said more than 20 candidates from one place scored higher marks and the TSPSC did not make public the list of qualified candidates. The petitioners’ counsel argued that only a comprehensive probe by the CBI could bring out the truth.

Counsel also brought to the court’s notice that Vyapam case of Madhya Pradesh was also probed by the CBI.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president A. Revanth Reddy was also present during the hearing.

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ABVP stages protest near KCR’s residence over paper leak

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Tension prevailed at Pragati Bhavan, the official residence of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao here on Tuesday as ABVP markers tried to lay siege to the complex to protest over Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) question paper leak.

Carrying ABVP flags and raising slogans, the protesters including women tried to move closer to the complex but were stopped by police.

There was heated argument between ABVP leaders and police personnel. As the ABVP workers continued their protest, police arrested them and shifted them to Goshamahal police station.

ABVP had last week staged a protest at TSPSC office which had turned violent. The protesters had barged into office premises and damaged the board.

Police then arrested some ABVP men who were later remanded to judicial custody.

Police had stepped up security around Pragati Bhavan in view of the planned protest by ABVP. However, some protesters took police by surprise and managed to reach near the high security premises.

The ABVP leaders demanded resignation of Information Technology minister K. T. Rama Rao over paper leak. They also demanded judicial probe into the case.

Hyderabad police last week arrested nine persons, including two employees of TSPSC, in connection with the paper leak case.

The TSPSC had conducted the examination on March 5 for 833 vacancies of Assistant Engineer, Municipal Assistant Engineer, Technical Officer, and Junior Technical Officer in various engineering departments. A total of 55,000 candidates had written the exam.

However, the Commission suspected leakage of the question paper and lodged a complaint with the police.

Following the arrest of the accused the Commission cancelled the exam and also postponed other exams scheduled to be held later this month.

Amid doubts that the accused may have leaked question papers of some other exams, the Commission on Friday decided to cancel three other exams including Group I Prelims.

Nearly 2.86 lakh aspirants of Group I posts had appeared in Group-I exam conducted on October 16, 2022.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

TSPSC paper leak: SIT serves notice to Cong leader over allegations

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Telangana Police’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the question paper leak in TSPSC has issued a notice to state Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy, asking him to share whatever information he has about the case.

The SIT, which has stepped up the probe with the questioning of nine accused, is also issuing notices to those making allegations relating to the case.

Revanth Reddy, however, said he has not yet received the SIT notice. He said he was not afraid of SIT notice and would share whatever evidence he has if a judicial probe is ordered in the case.

The development came a day after Revanth Reddy made a serious allegation that state minister K.T. Rama Rao’s personal assistant was also involved in the paper leak.

The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president had said on Sunday that KTR’s personal assistant (PA) Tirupati and one of the key accused in the case, Rajasekhara Reddy, were friends.

He also claimed that Tirupati helped Rajasekhar Reddy get a job in the Telangana State Technological Services (TSTS) on outsourcing basis and later ensured he lands a job in Telangana State Public Service Commission �(TSPSC) in a key role.

Rajasekhar Reddy is one of the two employees of TSPSC who have been arrested by the police for question paper leak. Rajasekhar Reddy, a network expert, allegedly copied question papers of several exams from confidential systems in the Commission and gave the same to Praveen Kumar, who then shared it with some aspirants for money.

During a protest in Kamareddy district on Sunday, the Congress leader had also claimed that Tirupati and Rajasekhar are friends hailing from neighbouring villages in Malyala mandal of Jagtiyal district and that 100 people belonging to Malyal mandal secured more than 100 marks in Group-1 Prelims. He had demanded that TSPSC should reveal names of 100 people who scored more than 100 marks.

The TPCC chief had also alleged irregularities in 2016 Group-1 results. He said that Madhur, the topper of that exam, came straight from the US to write the exam and secured the first rank. Rajinikanth Reddy, a TSPSC employee, secured fourth rank in that exam.

Revanth Reddy demanded a probe by a sitting judge of the High Court saying a thorough probe was needed to find out from which year the question paper leak was going on.

The TSPSC had conducted the examination on March 5 for 833 vacancies of Assistant Engineer, Municipal Assistant Engineer, Technical Officer, and Junior Technical Officer in various engineering departments. A total of 55,000 candidates had written the exam.

However, the Commission suspected leakage of the question paper and lodged a complaint with the police.

On March 13, police arrested nine people, including two employees of the TSPSC.

Following the arrest of the accused, the Commission cancelled the exam and also postponed other exams scheduled to be held later this month.

Amid doubts that the accused may have leaked question papers of some other exams, the Commission on Friday decided to cancel three other exams, including Group I Prelims.

Nearly 2.86 lakh aspirants of Group I posts had appeared in Group-I exam conducted on October 16, 2022.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

KTR’s aide involved in TSPSC paper leak: T’gana Congress chief

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Telangana unit Congress chief A. Revanth Reddy on Sunday alleged that the personal assistant of state minister for industries and information technology K.T. Rama Rao has played a key role in the question paper leak case that has rocked Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC)

He also alleged that KTR’s PA Tirupati has links with Rajasekhar Reddy, a contract employee of TSPSC and number two accused in the case.

Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president claimed that the paper leakage happened from KTR’s office.

He said the minister gave Rajasekhar Reddy a job in TSPSC on the recommendation of Tirupati.

Revanth Reddy, who is currently on Haath se haath jodo padyatra, sat on protest in Kamareddy district over the question paper leak.

He demanded the state government should immediately order a probe by a sitting judge of the High Court.

He also announced that he would take the issue of paper leakage to the High Court.

Stating that TSPSC employees are ineligible to attend the exams conducted by TSPSC, he wondered how 20 employees appeared in exams.

Praveen Kumar, an employee of the Commission, had appeared in the Group-I Prelims. He had scored 103 marks.

The Congress leader said in the past, TSPSC employee Rajinikanth was selected for Group-I post. He had secured fourth rank.

Revanth Reddy said that the probe should cover all those who scored more than 100 marks in Group-I Prelims. He said 100 candidates from one mandal scored more than 100 marks.

The TPCC chief said that there were irregularities in Group-I results in 2016. Madhuri, who had come from the US to write the exam, secured first rank, he said.

He also claimed that 25 candidates who wrote Group-II exam in one place secured jobs.

The TSPSC had conducted the examination on March 5 for 833 vacancies of Assistant Engineer, Municipal Assistant Engineer, Technical Officer, and Junior Technical Officer in various engineering departments. A total of 55,000 candidates had written the exam.

However, the Commission suspected leakage of the question paper and lodged a complaint with the police.

On March 13, police arrested nine persons including two employees of the TSPSC.

Following the arrest of the accused, the Commission cancelled the exam and also postponed other exams scheduled to be held later this month.

Amid doubts that the accused may have leaked question papers of some other exams, the Commission on Friday decided to cancel three other exams including Group I Prelims.

Nearly 2.86 lakh aspirants of Group I posts had appeared in Group-I exam conducted on October 16, 2022.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Question paper leak: TSPSC cancels Group-I Prelims, two other exams

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The Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) on Friday cancelled three more examinations, including Group I Prelims, in the wake of leakage of question paper of an exam held to recruit assistant engineers.

At a special meeting, the Commission took the decision to cancel the Group I Prelims conducted on October 16, 2022.

Nearly 2.86 lakh aspirants of Group I posts appeared in the exam across the state.

The Commission also decided to conduct the re-exam for Group I Prelims on June 11, 2023. The examinations held for the recruitment of Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) on January 22 and for Divisional Accounts Officer (DAO) on February 26 have also been cancelled.

The dates for the conduct of the two examinations will be announced later.

The TSPSC secretary said the Commission took the decision to cancel the three examinations after careful examination of the report of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the internal inquiry by the Commission.

The TSPSC had conducted the examination on March 5 for 833 vacancies of Assistant Engineer, Municipal Assistant Engineer, Technical Officer, and Junior Technical Officer in various engineering departments.

A total of 55,000 candidates had written the exam.

However, the Commission suspected leakage of the question paper and lodged a complaint with the police.

On March 13, the police arrested nine people, including two employees of the TSPSC.

Following the arrest of the accused, the Commission cancelled the exam and also postponed other exams scheduled to be held later this month.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner C.V. Anand had handed over the investigation to SIT.

The investigations revealed that P. Praveen Kumar, who was working as Assistant Section Officer (ASO) and Rajasekhar Reddy, a network expert working on an outsourcing basis, copied question papers from computers in the confidential section and shared them with other accused.

The investigations also created doubts that question papers of exams conducted earlier were also leaked.

It was revealed that Praveen Kumar had also written the Group-I exam. His OMR sheet had also surfaced on social media with claims that he secured the highest marks.

TSPSC chairman Janardhan Reddy confirmed that Praveen had appeared in the Group-I Prelims but it was not correct that the 103 marks secured by him was the highest.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

Protests continue over TSPSC exam paper leak

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Tension prevailed at the office of Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) here on Wednesday as various political parties, youth and student organisations continued their protests for a second day over leakage of question paper of an exam conducted recently.

Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) workers marched to the TSPSC office in Nampally to stage a protest.

Police stopped the protesters, which led to a heated argument between the two sides.

As the agitating protesters tried to barge into the TSPSC premises, the police swung into action and detained them.

The protesters demanded stringent action against those involved in the leakage of question papers for the exam conducted for recruitment to the posts of Assistant Engineer in various departments

The Aam Admi Party’s (AAP) students’ wing also tried to stage protest at TSPSC office. But the police detained the protesters and shifted them to police station.

The protesters demanded resignation of TSPSC chairman Janardhan Reddy.

Student groups, including PDSU and PYL, also staged protests in Khammam over question paper leakage. They alleged that injustice was being done to unemployed youth who had appeared in the exam after working hard. They demanded probe by a sitting judge.

Police on Monday arrested nine accused including two employees of TSPSC and a police constable.

A city court on Tuesday sent the accused to judicial custody for 14 days.

Hyderabad police on Tuesday transferred the paper leakage case to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Central Crime Station (CCS).

Police Commissioner C. V. Anand issued an order, transferring the case from Begumbazar Police Station to SIT CCS.

Additional Commissioner of Police, crimes and SIT, will supervise the investigation.

Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Tuesday directed TSPSC to submit a report within 48 hours on the question paper leak.

ATSPSC chairman Janardhan Reddy has said that they will take legal opinion on whether to cancel the exam or not.

The TSPSC had conducted the examination on March 5 for 833 vacancies of Assistant Engineer, Municipal Assistant Engineer, Technical Officer, and Junior Technical Officer in various engineering departments. A total of 55,000 candidates had written the exam.

Meanwhile, state BJP president Bandi Sanjay found fault with the government for handing over the case to SIT. He alleged that the state government is trying to shield the culprits. He said no major case was properly investigated by SIT.

Sanjay said a probe by only the sitting judge can bring out the facts in the case. He condemned non-bailable cases booked against BJYM workers for staging protests at the TSPSC office.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

KCR picks IAS officer as TSPSC chairman

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Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday has appointed Telangana State Public Service Commission Chairman and its members.

The Governor had accepted the proposals sent by the CM.

Dr B Janardhan Reddy, IAS, who is working as Principal Secretary (Agriculture) is appointed as the TSPSC Chairman.

Members Ramavath Dhan Singh (Retired E-in-C, B Tech (Civil), Prof B Lingareddy, M Sc, PhD, Prof and Head Depart of Physics, CBIT, Ms Kotla Aruna Kumari, (B Sc, B Ed, MA., LLB, Special Grade Deputy Collector), Ms Sumithra Anand Tanoba (MA (Telugu) Telugu Pandit), Karam Ravinder Reddy (B com, Retired Government Employee), Aravelli Chandrashekhar Rao (BAMS (Osm) Ayurvedic Doctor), R Satyanarayana (BA, Journalist).

The CM has instructed Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar to issue the orders in this regard.

Telugu360 is always open for the best and bright journalists. If you are interested in full-time or freelance, email us at Krishna@telugu360.com.

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