Morung Express News
Dimapur | March 7
After a prolonged legal hassle interspersed with two viva-voce and a re-evaluations, Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) has finally declared result of the 2014 NCS, NPS, NSS & Allied Services Exam. The NPSC had issued an advertisement various categories of posts on May 5, 2014.
A notification from the NPSC informed that 70 candidates were selected for various post under the Government of Nagaland on the basis of marks obtained in the Main Written Examination, Viva-voce & Medical & Police Fitness Examinations and options exercised by the candidates. It includes 20 Extra Assistant Commissioner, 3 Deputy Superintendent of Police and 40 Secretariat Assistant.
While the declaration of the final result may have bought jubilation as well as disappointment for many, it bought about a closure to many of its aspirants who has undergone a whirlwind journey.
In an extreme case that has elicited both consternation and shock among the examinees and aspirants of the NPSC, it was found that majority of the questions for the General Studies (Paper I) for NPSC (Mains) Exam held on September 9, 2014 were ‘copy-pasted’ straight from a particular book.
The Morung Express had reported that in the Current Affairs section of the question paper, all 50 questions were lifted from the model questions for current affairs (page 99-103) of the book from Tata Mc Graw Hills’ ‘General Studies Manual for Civil Services Preliminary Paper I’ and nearly 130 questions out of 200 questions were taken from the book.
Consequently, following widespread complaints, the Commission in a notification dated September 12, 2014 announced that 119 will not be evaluated but later issued a corrigendum, whereby 119 marks were allotted to all candidates who did not even attempt the questions.
Following the same, some aggrieved petitioners citing “unjust and unfair” practice appealed the High Court, Kohima Bench by filing a writ petition challenging the action of the NPSC and the court by an order dated October 13, 2014 directed the NPSC not to declare the result. A single judge bench initially passed an interim order not to declare the result, which was vacated after the NPSC filed an application. The candidates then filed a writ appeal in the principal bench of the high court in Guwahati.
In the course of the hearing, the NPSC declared the main result on December 2014 and conducted Viva-voce for 214 candidates from January 6-27, 2015. But the result was not declared in compliance with court’s stay order issued on December 20, 2014.
Finally, after a lengthy legal tussle, the Guwahati High Court in an order passed September 9, 2015 directed the commission to re-evaluate the answers of the 119 questions and give the examinees marks according to their performance.
Following the court’s order, NPSC re-evaluated the 2014 general studies (GS) paper-1 and declared the same in January 2016 replacing previous results of December 2014.
Consequently, the Viva-voce held in January 2015 on the basis of first declaration was also annulled and another viva-voce commenced from February 16, 2016.
The selection of 70 candidates declared today was on the basis of the same. The annual NPSC exam, despite everything, has become the most sought after examination. It has even spawned its own cottage industry in the form of burgeoning coaching centres in Nagaland. It is the annual fixation of every parents, graduates and students.
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