A complaint has been filed before the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) regarding the increase of the Telangana Public Service Commission (TGPSC) application processing fee from Rs. 200/- to Rs. 1000/- resulting in denial of equal access to public employment opportunities for a substantial number of economically disadvantaged and unemployed youth.
The complaint submitted that the TGPSC had recently issued notifications for 222 AEE (Civil) and 49 AEE (Electrical) posts in the Roads and Building Department, 19 Assistant Environmental Engineer posts in the Pollution Control Board, and 24 Deputy Education Officer posts in the School Education Department. It was asserted that the fee increase affected thousands of unemployed students aspiring public employment in Telangana and stated that while certain categories may receive partial concessions, a substantial section of candidates would have to face the burden.
It was mentioned in the complaint that many unemployed students depend upon government recruitment exams as one of the few available avenues they have to secure stable employment and improve their socio-economic conditions. The complainant also asserted that government job aspirants generally apply for multiple recruitment notifications because vacancies are released across different departments, but the recent practice of issuing separate notifications for similar categories of posts compels candidates to submit multiple applications and pay fees multiple times.
The action of increasing the fee was argued to be violative of Article 14, 16, 38, 39, 41, and 46 of the Constitution of India since access to public employment opportunities constitutes an important component of socio-economic dignity and livelihood prospects. It was submitted that public recruitment exams conducted by a constitutional recruitment body must facilitate merit based participation rather than creating financial barriers that effectively exclude deserving candidates solely on account of poverty.
The complainant sought cognizance of the matter under the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993 as well as a detailed report from the State of Telangana, TGPSC, General Administration Dept. (Govt. of Telangana), and the Finance Department regarding the rationale, financial basis, and decision-making process that led to the increase of the application processing fee. Further, the complainant prayed before the NHRC to examine the said fee structure for arbitrariness and violation of constitutional guarantees of equality and equal opportunity in public employment.
By the complaint, NHRC was also asked to recommend an immediate review and suspension of the enhanced fee and to recommend formulation of transparent guidelines governing recruitment related fees to ensure compliance with constitutional principles of fairness, proportionality, accessibility, and non-discrimination.
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