SHC orders fresh CCE 2020 be supervised by official assignee

After finding irregularities in the Combined Competitive Examination (CCE) 2020, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed the Sindh Public Service Commission (SPSC) to hold the exam anew within two months under the supervision of the official assignee and the court’s additional registrars.

The direction came on Ayub Panhwar’s petition claiming several irregularities and malpractices in the CCE. On November 9, 2020, the court had directed the SPSC to conduct the CCE 2020 under the supervision of the official assignee.

The official assignee said he had coordinated with the SPSC staff for holding the CCE 2020 as directed by the court, while the additional registrars of Sukkur, Hyderabad and Larkana also coordinated with the commission for the exam. He said the SPSC deliberately avoided calling him for two years, following which they finally did so. He added that he noticed certain discrepancies in the exam process.

He explained that in his absence, the relevant SPSC officials decoded the sealed answer sheets to manipulate the numbers in the copies purportedly sent to the examiners for giving marks to ensure that they got higher marks for selection. He noted that such an exercise on the part of the SPSC officials was so arbitrary and dubious for the reason that one candidate was awarded an additional 98 marks, another 78 marks and many others 40 marks.

He said the exam copies, answer sheets and other pages of the sheets clearly show tampering with the marks. He pointed out that the record of the CCE 2020 had been tampered with in a calculated manner by the SPSC officials, and required a through investigation.

He also claimed that the CCE 2020 record had been manipulated, and the SPSC officials had misused their power and authority to extend favours to failed candidates by tampering with the answer sheets.

The official assignee also informed the court that during the hearing of the case, the SPSC chairman had constituted a high-powered committee to investigate SPSC officials tampering with the CCE 2020 record, and the chairman had submitted the findings to the chief secretary for immediate legal action against delinquent officials.

An SHC division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro asked the official assignee if any departmental action had been taken against the delinquent SPSC officials. He said the committee had recommended departmental action against the officials, and now it was for the competent authority to take action against them.

The court directed the provincial law officer to submit the findings of the committee, along with its recommendations. The additional advocate general said that certain SPSC officials had been suspended. The bench said that keeping in view the facts and the circumstances of the case, the court would wait to see what departmental action the provincial government was taking against the delinquent officials.

The bench also said that after examining the proposed penalties, the court would issue further appropriate orders, adding that the departmental proceedings should be conducted within two months. It also directed the SPSC to hold the exam anew within two months under the supervision of the official assignee in Karachi, as well as the additional registrars of the SHC’s Sukkur bench and the circuit courts of Hyderabad and Larkana to ensure merit and transparency in the CCE 2020.

In its November 9, 2020, order the court had said that the official assignee must ensure that the entire process of the CCE 2020 was held strictly in accordance with the law, the relevant rules and regulations, and the Supreme Court’s directions. The court said that the written tests, interviews, results and recommendations should be strictly on merit and fair. The court added that in case of a candidate’s rejection, they should be informed in writing immediately so that they might avail the remedy of appeal.