Corruption,nepotism cloud Haryana Civil Services merit list

“I am not perturbed by the allegations. The Supreme Court has given detailed guidelines (for the selection process). We have gone as per the guidelines,” Sheokhand said.

Another allegation is that candidates were marked in clusters to keep them just short of the total cutoff of 406. Records accessed by The Indian Express show an uncanny pattern where students who had scored in a certain range in the mains were given marks in a corresponding range in the interview (see box).

As many as 93 ended with a total between 400 and 405,each with a high mains score and a low one in the interview.

Among the final list of 184 successful candidates are at least 15 who moved higher by over 100 ranks after the interview. On the flip side,at least 40 candidates with very good marks in the written examinations dropped 50 ranks afer the interview.

A glaring example of how the interview marks swung the result is that of Vikas,nephew of HPSC member PP Pandit,Vikas scored only 359 out of 600 in the mains (among the lowest for those called for interview),but his 66 out of 75 in the interview was among the highest. His rank,288 after the mains,went up to 57,a jump of 231. He has now been selected as Assistant Excise and Taxation Officer (AETO).

“HPSC members too have families and if a member of their family gets selected on his own merit it is alleged that the selections have been unfair. In that case the government should post only sanyasis as members so that they don’t have any families at all,” Pandit said.

Some other candidates,who are related to HPSC members and other government functionaries,also fared well,leading to the allegations of nepotism.

Failed candidate: they asked me why Muslims are generally terrorists

A candidate from Delhi,Syed Waquar Haider,has added a new twist to the HCS controversy,alleging that the interview board had asked him embarrassing questions,one being: “Mr Haider,why are Muslims generally terrorists?” Waquar is one of those with a high mains score (394) and a low interview score (10). Waquar has sent a complaint to the HPSC secretary.

HPSC member P P Pandit denied any embarrassing questions had been asked. “Those who do not get selected concoct such stories,” he said.