Group-1 candidates protest, demand postponement of mains exams

HYDERABAD: Tensions rose in Ashoknagar as Group-1 aspirants once again took to the streets, demanding the postponement of the upcoming Group-1 Mains exams.

The protest was organised to highlight issues with the preliminary exams and to call for the revision of Government Order (GO) 29 before the exams proceed. The aspirants gathered on the roads, resulting in the deployment of heavy police forces to manage the situation. Police have detained several protestors and moved them to nearby stations.

The protests followed a recent Telangana High Court ruling that dismissed petitions challenging the Group-1 notification and the prelims exam results. The court also rejected petitions calling for the reevaluation of seven questions in the prelims, which petitioners claimed were wrongly marked in the final key. Despite these concerns, the court cleared the way for the Group-1 Mains exams, scheduled to begin on the 21st of this month.

Petitioners had sought new results, arguing that errors in the preliminary exam needed to be rectified. Moreover, over 15 petitions were filed against various aspects of the Group-1 exam, including issues related to GO 33 concerning reservations. However, the High Court dismissed all the cases.

With the legal hurdles cleared, the Telangana Public Service Commission (TSPSC) has continued its preparations for the exams. A total of 31,382 candidates are expected to appear for the Group-1 Mains across the state, despite ongoing protests by aspirants seeking further postponement.