Editor,
Following the release of the MCS (Prelims) 2023 supplementary list, a number of circumstances have arisen. In my opinion, if someone had complaints about the Meghalaya Public Service Commission (MPSC), they need to have addressed the Commission and sought detailed clarification.
Since the candidate who filed the petition claimed to have been wronged, they had every right to do so. When the results were announced, any candidate who thought they had passed the cut-off would undoubtedly examine their scores and look for an explanation because they would be concerned. Errors can occur in MPSC test questions, just as they happen in other reputable exams like UPSC, SSC, NEET, GATE, and JEE.
Although MPSC committed a mistake, I believe that by admitting 62 applicants rather than only the petitioner, they have done right. Since the MPSC is a constitutional body and has demonstrated transparency in a recent case when it took the subject seriously and sought an expert review, no one can contest the MPSC’s judgment.
The KSU said that it tried to find out why, in the absence of such a system, the MPSC had approved the petition in the first place. The answer is straightforward: since each State Public Service Commission has the authority to accept and administer justice to anyone who approaches them, an irate candidate who felt confident that he or she had cleared would surely be unhappy and would petition the Commission.
The MPSC is not an exception if other state public services commission tests, including central exams like the SSC, allow for answer challenges. Even though the Commission made mistakes, they were rectified, and it takes time to go over the contested responses. It cannot be eliminated in a single day. I concur that a resolution should have been reached by March, the earliest possible time, in order to avoid elections. It became much longer when the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) was put into effect.
I would prefer that KSU petition the MPSC to allow only those candidates who successfully challenged incorrect answer keys and received their meritorious marks be allowed to write their exams since they had found out the mistakes instead of allowing the majority. The answer keys should also be posted on the website after exams are over, giving candidates two weeks to contest answers if they so choose, provided they can provide supporting documentation. Finally, the MPSC should change a regulation that would otherwise charge RS 50/100 for each question that is challenged in SSC and NET exams.
Samuel R. Marak
Tura, West Garo Hills
