Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Thursday dismissed a batch of petitions challenging the legality and constitutionality of Government Order No. 29, which specified modalities for the selection of merit candidates for Group-1 mains examinations.
The court also dismissed challenge to the legality of GO No. 96 of July 22, 2019, for substituting clauses (a) and (b) to Rule 22 (2) of the Telangana State Subordinate Service Rules of 1996 for prescribing roster points for special categories or handicapped categories.
The High Court also dismissed the petitions challenging the issuance of fresh notification for conducting of Group-1 recruitment in 2024, by setting aside the old notification issued in 2022.
The Division Bench comprising Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice G. Radha Rani pronounced the orders in the petitions, which mainly challenged GO-29, which had sparked agitations ahead of the Group-1 main examinations.
The candidates argued that through GO No. 29, the state government and the TGPSC were not applying the rule of reservation in respect of each category of reserved candidates independently in the 1:50 ratio (50 times) to the main written examination of Group-1 services.
On the basis of the preliminary test, 31,382 candidates were provisionally admitted for the mains examination as per the criteria mentioned in GO Ms No. 29 .
The court questioned the petitioners over the delay in filing these petitions. Though GO 29 was issued on February 8, 2024, and the fresh notification for Group-1 recruitment was issued on February 18, 2024, petitions were filed between August and October, which is just before the schedule of Group-1 main examinations.
The Bench also pointed out that the High Court has already dismissed a petition which challenged the cancellation of old notification for Group-1 recruitment in 2022.
In the judgment, Justice Sujoy Paul opined that no convincing argument was advanced by the counsels for the petitioners to explain delay, except contending that the constitutional court being the guardian of fundamental rights should not decide the matter on technicality.
However, the High Court has expressed its hope and trust that during the selection and appointment process, the officials of the state government and TGSPSC will take care that vacancies are filled up strictly in accordance with law.
