MPSC clarifies examination process amid nepotism allegations

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJuly 26, 2024

The Meghalaya Public Service Commission (MPSC) has faced allegations of nepotism and favouritism following the announcement of 62 additional candidates qualifying for the MCS (Mains) examinations. The Commission has responded, emphasizing its commitment to transparency and confidentiality.

To address these concerns, the MPSC clarified that most public examinations, including those conducted by MPSC, allow candidates to appeal against any faulty questions or answers to address grievances. Despite rigorous measures to ensure error-free questions, occasional errors do occur, similar to other top recruitment authorities.

After the MCS Preliminary Examination results were declared, a candidate filed a petition on January 25, 2024, requesting the Answer Key, which was provided on February 6, 2024. The petitioner then submitted a representation on February 9, 2024, challenging the correctness of three questions and provided supporting documents. The MPSC immediately reviewed the claims internally and decided to engage an external expert to verify the petitioner’s claims. The expert confirmed the errors in the Answer Key for the three questions.

Taking the matter seriously, the Commission decided to reassess the OMR sheets for the three specific questions only, each carrying two marks. It is important to note that only these challenged questions were reassessed, not the entire OMR sheet.

The cut-off marks for various categories for the MCS Preliminary Examination, declared on December 15, 2023 (vide Notification No. MPSC/Ex-C/50/2021-2022/133), were as follows: KJ = 92, Garo = 84, and OST/SC = 86. Candidates meeting these cut-off marks after the reassessment were included in the additional list of 62 candidates.

The Commission applied the doctrine of equality to all 13,451 candidates by reassessing the three specific questions for everyone, not just the petitioner. Consequently, 62 new candidates qualified for the MCS (Mains) Examination, in addition to the 580 initially qualified candidates.

The MPSC asserts that the allegations of nepotism, favouritism, and deviation from the standard examination process are baseless. The reassessment ensured fairness and justice for all candidates.