Key Takeaways:
- Andhra Pradesh High Court has ordered an APP exam re-evaluation of 10 answer scripts to ensure fairness.
- The re-evaluation will be conducted under a renowned academician and the government must file a report within six weeks.
- Petitioners raised concerns after only 10 of over 1,500 candidates qualified in the recruitment exercise.
The Andhra Pradesh High Court on Tuesday directed the state government to re-evaluate answer scripts from the Assistant Public Prosecutors (APP) examination, ordering that 10 scripts be chosen at random from a group of 18 petitioners. The re-evaluation must be carried out under the supervision of a renowned academician and the state has been asked to file a report within six weeks.
The single-judge Bench, presided over by Justice Nyapathi Vijay, heard petitions from candidates who sought a reassessment of their papers following a recruitment exercise that drew sharp criticism from those who sat the test.
Appearing for the petitioners, counsel Y. Tagore Yadav told the court that more than 1,500 candidates took the APP examination but only 10 were declared qualified. He urged the Bench to order re-evaluation to uphold fairness and transparency in the recruitment process.
APP exam re-evaluation to be supervised by a renowned academician
In its order, the court specified that the 10 answer scripts must be randomly selected from among 18 petitioners who had challenged their marks. The re-check will be conducted under the supervision of an academician of standing, whose role is expected to lend credibility to the process and to reassure candidates and the public that the exercise is impartial.
The court has set a strict timeline, directing the state government to submit a report of the re-evaluation within six weeks. The decision follows concerns raised by examinees and comes amid wider scrutiny of the recruitment process for public prosecutor positions across the state.
The present controversy traces back to a public interest litigation that highlighted significant delay in APP recruitment since 2019. Acting on that PIL, the High Court in March 2025 had instructed Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand to kick-start the recruitment process. The government subsequently issued a notification in August and the examination was conducted, producing a result that declared only 10 of the many candidates qualified.
Legal observers say the court’s order reflects an attempt to balance administrative discretion with judicial oversight in public recruitment exercises. By insisting on random selection and external supervision, the Bench sought to limit any perception of bias in marking or result compilation.
For the candidates involved, the re-evaluation represents an opportunity for clarity. Petitioners have argued that the proportion of successful candidates is anomalous given the size of the candidate pool, and they welcomed the court’s move as a step towards ensuring procedural fairness.
The state government will now have to designate officials to carry out the exercise, identify the supervising academician, and comply with the six-week deadline. Depending on the findings of the re-evaluation report, the outcome could prompt further administrative action or additional legal steps by affected candidates.
As the process unfolds, the court’s directive is likely to be watched closely by other aspirants in public service recruitment, and by stakeholders concerned with the integrity of competitive examinations in the state.
