The Andhra Pradesh High Court has ordered a fresh Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe with forensic examination of answer scripts in the 2018 APPSC Group-I (Mains) recruitment, holding that serious prima facie doubts exist regarding the sanctity and fairness of the valuation process.
The Division Bench of Justice Battu Devanand and Justice A. Hari Haranadha Sarma was dealing with interlocutory applications seeking forensic examination of OMR sheets and related control bundle slips. The Court found that the circumstances surrounding the valuation process were “extraordinary” and warranted “extraordinary measures of enquiry and investigation”
The case arose from a notification issued in 2018 by the APPSC for recruitment to 169 Group-I posts. After preliminary and mains examinations were conducted, digital valuation of mains scripts was undertaken. The digital evaluation was challenged before a Single Judge, who, in October 2024, set aside the digital evaluation and directed manual evaluation.
Subsequently, manual evaluation was conducted, and the results were declared in May 2022. Failed candidates challenged the process, contending that subsequent valuations were impermissible and contrary to APPSC Rules. The Single Judge permitted the selection process to continue, subject to the outcome of the writ petitions, and this was affirmed by a Division Bench in June 2022, which directed that appointments would remain subject to the final result and selected candidates should not claim equities. Accordingly, appointments were issued with undertakings.
The writ petitions were ultimately decided on 13.03.2024, when the learned Single Judge declared the subsequent valuations illegal and violative of the APPSC Rules, set aside the eligible list, and directed conducting the Group-I (Mains) examination afresh in accordance with the Rules. This led to the present appeal by APPSC and selected candidates.
Findings on Irregularities
Deciding the case, the Division Bench noticed non-compliance with earlier directions requiring the production of answer sheets in a sealed cover. Upon scrutiny, the Court found that the original OMR sheets attached to the answer scripts had in fact been used and contained marks awarded in the alleged earlier valuation conducted at a private resort.
The Court recorded that the original answer scripts were kept at Avasa Resorts, Hailand, Guntur District, from 05.12.2021 to 26.02.2022 without authority. The Advocate General admitted that no official file existed showing who authorised shifting the scripts to the private resort.
The Committee constituted by the Court, headed by a retired Judge, reported that the OMR sheets contained marks awarded in the alleged valuation done at Hailand. This, coupled with the printing of fresh OMR sheets and control bundles for subsequent evaluation at Vijayawada, raised serious doubts.
The Bench held that these admitted facts “throw doubts on the fairness and reliability of the APPSC and as such there is a prima facie material to accept the allegation of the unsuccessful candidates that the sanctity of evaluation was compromised.” It further observed that the circumstances forced the Court to form a prima facie opinion that the evaluation process had been vitiated “at a systematic level.”
Given the nature of Group-I posts and the larger public interest involved, the Court held that detailed forensic scrutiny was inevitable. Distinguishing the ongoing SIT investigation concerning alleged financial irregularities, the Court held that the present writ proceedings relate specifically to irregularities in valuation. Accordingly, the Court directed the State Government to constitute an SIT headed by an officer not below the rank of Additional Director General of Police. The SIT has been directed to take assistance from a Central Forensic Science Laboratory situated outside the State and investigate:
• Whether the barcodes on the answer sheets, original OMR sheets, and the OMR sheets used during physical valuation at Vijayawada, along with the details retrieved from such barcodes, are the same in respect of the selected candidates.
• The answer sheets of the unselected candidates shall be examined on the same lines as those of the selected candidates.
• The answer sheets of candidates up to 100 ranks below the last selected candidate in the merit list shall also be examined on the same lines as the selected candidates.
• The material already collected by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the ongoing investigation may be used for further probe in accordance with the above directions.
• Apart from the above, any other relevant information suggesting tampering with the original answer sheets may be detected by adopting scientific and other appropriate techniques.
The SIT has been directed to submit its report by March 16, 2026.
Noting apprehensions that selected candidates occupying “focal posts” might influence the process, the Court directed the State Government to post all selected candidates in non-focal posts until further orders and to submit a compliance report within one week.
Appearances:
Sr Advocate Ravi Shankar Jandhyala
