Hyderabad HC stays announcement of Telangana SET results

Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court on Friday stayed the results of the State Eligibility Test (SET) 2017 to recruit and promote lecturers and assistant professors in degree colleges and universities.

Justice M.S. Ramachandra Rao was admitting a petition by research scholar Elchala Dathatri  challenging alleged modification of the eligibility criteria after conducting the test.

Mr B. Ramesh, counsel for the petitioner, told the court that Osmania University had issued notification on March 20 and conducted the test on June 6. On June 29, it issued a notification modifying the eligibility criteria.

He said that as per the original criteria, the university was to select 15 per cent of candidates under reserved categories who had cleared Step 1 with minimum marks in three papers separately. General category candidates were to obtain 40 per cent marks in Paper I and Paper II and 50 per cent marks in Paper III (English) to qualify.

He said that as per the modified criteria, the respondents had to select 6 per cent of the overall candidates who appeared for the exam.

The requirement of clearing Step 1 was dropped. He said that the criteria announced in the notification on March 20 had given all 29 subjects equal importance.

He urged the court to declare the action of the respondent authorities as illegal and in violation of Articles 14, 16, 19(g), 21 and 300A of the Constitution and direct the university to declare the final results as per the old criteria.

Granting the interim order, the judge said that altering the eligibility criteria amounted to “changing rules of game after it was started.” The judge said this was not permissible in view of a Supreme Court order.

The judge directed the university not to declare the results till further orders. The judge adjourned the case by directing respondent concerned to file their counter affidavits.