Judicial scrutiny of answer keys is limited to cases where glaring errors are apparent and no inferential process is required to show that the answers are wrong.

ORDER :

R. Raghunandan Rao, J.

1. Heard Sri B. Adinarayana Rao, learned Senior Counsel appearing for Sri Srinivasa Rao Bodduluri learned counsel for the petitioner, Sri Yogesh Tandava, learned Counsel for the petitioner in W.P. No. 2156 of 2020 and Sri R.V. Mallikarjuna Rao for the respondents.

2. Before adverting to the controversy in question, a few facts would be necessary:-

The A.P. Public Service Commission had issued notification dated 31.12.2018 for filling up various carry forward vacancies and fresh vacancies falling under Group-I Service. The said notification also set out the conditions under which the recruitment process would be carried out. The selection process was in three stages, viz., preliminary examination, main examination and interview. All persons, who are eligible in terms of age and other qualifications were permitted to appear for the preliminary examination, which was an objective test consisting of two papers, viz., Paper-I was to test the candidates in-(a) History and Culture; (b) Constitution Policy, Social Justice and International relations; (c) Indian and Andhra Pradesh Economy and Planning; and (d) Geography and Paper-II was to test the candidates in-(a) General Mental Ability, Administrative and Psychological Abilities; and (b) Science and Technologies, and Current events of Regional, National and international importance.

3. The preliminary examination was a screening examination to shortlist candidates appearing for the Main exam in the ratio of 1:50. Thereafter, depending upon their performance in the main examination, candidates would be called for interview in a ratio of 1:2 of the vacancies available. The performance of the candidates in the main examination and interview would be taken into account for issuing the final merit list from which candidates would be selected for various vacancies in accordance with the rule of reservation and other parameters.

4. Each of the papers, for the preliminary examination for 120 marks consisted of 120 multiple choice. As a measure of preventing malpractices, four sets of question papers, viz., Set-A, Set-B, Set-C and Set-D papers were prepared for each of the question papers. In all the paper sets, the questions were same. However, the order in which they were placed in the question papers was changed.

5. About 50,000 candidates appeared for the preliminary examination, which was conducted on 26.5.2019. As a measure of transparency, the key to the questions, giving the correct choices, as decided by the Public Service Commission, was published on 26.05.2019. The candidates were permitted to raise objections to any of the answers indicated by the Public Service Commission till 10.06.2019. The objections so received were referred to subject experts for verification. A report of the subject experts, on the objections raised by the candidates, was received on 05.9.2019 and the revised key was published on 06.09.2019. According to the revised key, 19 questions in Paper-I and 6 questions in Paper-II were found to be incorrect and the marks in relation to those questions were deleted. As a further measure, objections were again called for in relation to the revised key published on 06.09.2019 up to 17.09.2019. These objections were received and referred to the subject experts on 18.09.2019. At that stage, other candidates, who had appeared in the preliminary examination, had approached this Court by way of W.P. No. 13075 of 2019.

6. The Petitioners, in W.P. No. 13705 of 2019, had also filed an interlocutory application for staying all further proceedings in the selection process. A learned single judge of this Court had, by order dated 26.9.2019, directed that there shall be a stay of pronouncement of results of the Preliminary examination. Thereupon, the Public Service Commission had filed a vacate petition which came to be allowed on 1.11.2019. Thereafter, the results were announced along with the publication of the Final answer key based upon the recommendat