OMR sheets altered, signatures forged, says SIT report on Group-I 2018 recruitment

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) has revealed a series of irregularities in the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) Group-I recruitment process for 2018. The examination was conducted in May 2019 and December 2020, with 1.14 lakh candidates applying for the test. The final selection comprised 165 aspirants out of 9,679 who qualified for the mains examination.

The SIT's investigation uncovered several disturbing facts. The evaluation process was entrusted to two private firms, who were reportedly acquainted with the then APPSC Secretary P.S.R. Anjaneyulu. The team discovered that 452 qualified subject experts were excluded from the evaluation, while about 25 school teachers, private lecturers, 66 data entry operators, clerks, security guards, and electricians were engaged instead.

Moreover, the investigation found that answer sheets were moved from the APPSC strong room and allegedly stored in a resort for approximately 84 days, which contravenes APPSC rules. Examination papers of 736 candidates were sent to the Central Forensic Science Laboratories in multiple cities for forensic analysis. Out of these, alterations were detected in 718 OMR sheets, and differences in signatures were observed in 89 candidates.

Another alarming discovery was the presence of 48,442 duplicate OMR sheets, purportedly printed using the candidates' barcode numbers. The SIT is currently probing the source of these irregularities. Additionally, it was found that some APPSC officers and staff allegedly altered the marks of candidates who had reportedly paid them to do so. Despite employing unqualified individuals, the two private firms received payments amounting to ₹1.14 crore and ₹1.38 crore.

Further investigation is ongoing as per the SIT report.