YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has responded point by point to the allegations of irregularities in the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) levelled by the coalition government. During a press conference, Jagan challenged the Chandrababu Naidu-led government to prove even a single instance of wrongdoing. He also said that if there were genuine doubts over the recruitment process, the government could hand the matter over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for a detailed probe.
The allegations addressed by Jagan covered several aspects of the APPSC recruitment process, including digital evaluation, Group-1 examinations, alleged tampering of answer scripts, changes to OMR sheets and interview marks.
Digital Evaluation During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Responding to questions over digital evaluation conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jagan said the process was not ultimately relied upon for the recruitment process because of court directions. He maintained that the evaluation was completed through the manual system.
Jagan also said that the evaluation of Group-1 answer scripts was conducted under extensive CCTV surveillance, arguing that the process had adequate safeguards to prevent malpractice.
Answer Script Tampering Allegations
Jagan strongly rejected allegations that answer scripts had been tampered with. He said the Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the government itself had found no evidence of alterations or additions to the answer scripts.
He further stated that allegations regarding unidentified persons modifying OMR sheets were contradicted by the SIT report, CLF reports and CCTV footage. According to Jagan, these records provide evidence about how the examination and evaluation processes were actually conducted.
Multiple Evaluation and Barcodes
Jagan explained that examining answer scripts more than once is part of the normal evaluation process. He said the multiple-evaluation system is intended to reduce the possibility of injustice to candidates and improve the accuracy of assessment.
He also pointed out that candidates’ names were not displayed on the answer scripts during evaluation. Instead, barcodes were used, meaning evaluators could not identify the candidates whose papers they were checking.
Allegations Over Interview Marks
Jagan also responded to allegations that candidates who secured lower marks in the written examination were awarded higher marks during interviews.
He challenged the Chandrababu Naidu government to make public the complete details of APPSC interviews conducted during its tenure and compare them with the procedures followed during his government’s term.
Jagan said his government had introduced several reforms in APPSC, including facial recognition, biometric thumb impressions and CCTV surveillance to strengthen examination security.
Changes to the Interview System
According to Jagan, the interview system was also modified during his tenure. He said that while there had previously been a single interview board, his government introduced three interview boards and conducted interviews through a jumbling system involving 24 civil service officers.
He claimed that the system was designed in such a way that candidates would not know in advance which board or officer would conduct their interview, thereby reducing the possibility of favouritism or manipulation.
Recruitment Through APPSC
Jagan said that more than 1.30 lakh Secretariat-related jobs were provided during his government’s tenure and that APPSC issued 78 notifications during the period.
He questioned whether even a single allegation of irregularity in these recruitments had been established. Jagan argued that the government’s allegations should be backed by concrete evidence rather than political claims.
Allegations Against Evaluators
Jagan also addressed allegations that evaluators had used phones while checking answer scripts.
He said evaluators could not know the personal details of candidates because of the barcode-based system. According to him, the anonymity maintained during evaluation made it difficult for evaluators to identify individual candidates or favour particular applicants.
Jagan Calls for a CBI Probe
Overall, Jagan based his defence of the APPSC recruitment process on the SIT findings, court proceedings and the reforms implemented during his tenure. He said that if the coalition government genuinely believed that irregularities had taken place, it should order a CBI investigation into the APPSC issue along with the DSC controversy.
Jagan challenged the government to establish the allegations through an independent investigation and said that the facts would emerge if a thorough probe was conducted.
