Jagan Seeks CBI Probe into DSC-2025 Recruitment, Lokesh's Resignation

YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe into alleged irregularities in the DSC-2025 teacher recruitment process and the resignation of HRD Minister N. Lokesh.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, the former Chief Minister said the recruitment system had been allowed to deteriorate, and claimed that further irregularities would surface. He said the exercise did not amount to a "Mega DSC" and that unemployed youth and genuine candidates had been cheated.

Mr. Reddy questioned the decision to assign both the preparation of the question bank and the supervision of the examination to the same person, arguing that the arrangement undermined transparency. He also referred to candidates' allegations that question papers had been sold.

The YSRCP chief alleged that 39 teacher posts were filled without an examination under the sports quota. He cited certificates said to show participation in a 2013 Senior Inter-District Judo Championship in Khammam, and claimed that the Telangana Judo Association and the Khammam District Judo Association had stated that no such competitions were held there on the dates mentioned. He alleged similar irregularities involving softball, kho-kho and kabaddi certificates.

He further alleged that a candidate from Kurnool was appointed as a Secondary Grade Teacher under the sports quota despite scoring 65 marks in the Teacher Eligibility Test against a required 75. Officials, he claimed, had defended the appointment by saying the candidate had appeared for the examination several times and that his highest score was considered, while the category was later "jumbled up." He alleged comparable discrepancies in a Kadapa case and accused the government of misusing the EWS quota in Kadapa, Kurnool and East Godavari districts.

Disputing the government's contention that certificates were verified seven times before appointments, Mr. Reddy said the explanation was hard to accept given the alleged discrepancies. He accused the government of trying to shield Mr. Lokesh and said officials were running out of explanations.

He also recalled an earlier allegation of question-paper leakage involving an outsourced employee who, he claimed, accessed the paper, secured the first rank and was later removed from the merit list. Although audio and video evidence allegedly indicated that jobs were being offered, he said the matter was not pursued adequately.

Mr. Reddy alleged that the government had sought to adopt a similar approach in APPSC recruitment to fill Forest Department posts through the sports quota, but withdrew the move after the DSC issue came to light.