Telangana: Group-1 Aspirants Criticise New Quota Rules

Hyderabad: Protests intensified at several locations in the city on Thursday as hundreds of aspirants gathered, demanding postponement of Group 1 Mains, scheduled from October 21. The aspirants, largely from SC, ST and BC communities, voiced strong opposition to Government Order 29, which they claim violated reservation policies and hindered their chances of recruitment.

Police presence at the protest site was heavy as well as near Gandhi Bhavan and the Ashoknagar study circles. Some protesters were detained and taken to Chikkadpally and Begum Bazar police stations.

An aspirant, Ramesh Aakula, said, “Under the GO 29, even if we perform well, SC and ST candidates like me are forced into reserved categories, restricting our chances in the open category. It’s a violation of our rights.”

Another aspirant, Shobha V, speaking to DC at the Gandhinagar park, said, “GO 29 affects so many of us. The government promised fairness, but they’ve gone back on that promise.”

Protesters also highlighted issues with the preliminary exam answer key, pointing out discrepancies that were yet to be addressed. “How can we proceed to the Mains when the preliminary exam itself had errors in the answer key,” said another protester, Mani Chandra.

Several petitions challenging the constitutional validity of GO 29 have already been filed in the Telangana High Court. Aspirants are seeking clarity on whether the government will revert to the provisions of GO 55, which applied a 1:50 ratio rule of reservation for selecting mains candidates, and whether all candidates or only those newly-affected by the order would be impacted by potential changes.

Aspirants have called for a "Chalo Gandhi Bhavan" programme. Aspirants have also expressed concerns about hall ticket discrepancies and other irregularities in the exam process, fuelling suspicions of systemic flaws.