SIT Report Exposes Large-Scale Discrepancies in APPSC Valuation

The Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission’s (APPSC) Group-I recruitment examination has come under renewed scrutiny after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) flagged extensive irregularities in the valuation process. The final SIT report has been submitted to the Andhra Pradesh High Court, following an investigation ordered into concerns surrounding the evaluation of answer scripts. The Group-I Mains examination was conducted from December 14 to 20, 2020, with 6,807 candidates appearing for all seven papers.

The APPSC initially used digital valuation and declared the results on April 1, shortlisting 326 candidates. The valuation process was subsequently subjected to two rounds of manual evaluation after the digital assessment was challenged. The SIT found that 202 of the 326 candidates shortlisted through digital valuation were not among the 325 candidates shortlisted after manual valuation, raising questions about the consistency of the evaluation process. In March 2024, the High Court held that the second and third valuations were illegal and irregular and directed that a fresh Group-I Mains examination be conducted.

The latest SIT investigation found extensive alterations in the records it examined. Of 736 Group-I Mains records scrutinised, 718, or 97.55 per cent, contained alterations or overwriting. The report also identified 159 signature mismatches, 29 alterations without examiner initials and 114 corrections that appeared to have been made using different ink or at a different stage. White correction fluid was found on 169 valuation slips linked to the Haailand evaluation, adding to concerns over the manner in which the answer scripts were handled and assessed.

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The SIT also found alterations in records belonging to both selected and unselected candidates. Among the selected candidates, 160 of 165 records examined contained alterations, while 153 of 161 records relating to unselected candidates had corrections. The investigation further found alterations in 405 of the 408 valuation slips belonging to writ petitioners. The report also flagged shortcomings in the initial digital valuation, including the absence of mandatory approval from the APPSC chairman and discrepancies between evaluator records and the final database.

Another concern highlighted by the SIT was the sharp increase in third-valuation referrals. The proportion rose from 0.45 per cent in the previous Group-I recruitment to 10.2 per cent in the recruitment under investigation. However, the SIT did not establish that the original answer scripts of selected candidates had been substituted or tampered with. The Andhra Pradesh High Court had directed the State on February 11, 2026, to constitute or reconstitute an SIT to investigate the valuation irregularities, following which the state government formally constituted the team on February 14.

The controversy has also acquired a political dimension, with the examination and disputed valuation process taking place during the YSRCP government, although the recruitment notification was issued under the TDP government. TDP leaders have alleged the involvement of former DGP and former APPSC chairman Gautam Sawang and secretary PSR Anjaneyulu, who had also served as intelligence chief under then Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. With the SIT report now before the High Court, further proceedings will determine the consequences of the findings. The allegations against individuals remain unproven unless established through subsequent investigation or judicial proceedings.

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