Chennai, June 28 (IANS) AIADMK General Secretary and Tamil Nadu’s Leader of Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS) on Sunday demanded a thorough and independent investigation into the alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Assistant Professors conducted by the Tamil Nadu Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB), urging the state government to suspend the appointment process until the inquiry is completed.

In a strongly-worded statement, Palaniswami said the allegations surrounding the recently announced recruitment results had raised serious concerns over the transparency and fairness of the selection process.

He called upon the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK)-led state government to intervene immediately to protect the interests of deserving candidates and restore public confidence in the recruitment system.

Referring to media reports and complaints from candidates, the AIADMK leader questioned the evaluation process adopted by the TRB, particularly the marking of the descriptive examination.

He pointed to an instance in which a candidate who had secured a perfect score of 100 marks in the objective examination was reportedly awarded zero in the descriptive paper.

“How can a candidate who scored 100 marks in the objective paper receive zero in the descriptive paper?” Palaniswami asked, saying that such a disparity indicated a lack of uniformity and consistency in the evaluation process.

He alleged that the recruitment exercise had unfairly disadvantaged several meritorious candidates while benefiting others who had secured comparatively lower marks.

According to Palaniswami, the reported discrepancies had cast a shadow over the credibility of the entire selection process and warranted immediate corrective action.

The former Chief Minister also demanded that the recruitment process be cancelled if the allegations were found to be true.

He insisted that an independent agency should conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the complaints to determine whether any malpractice or manipulation had occurred during the evaluation and selection stages.

Palaniswami also urged the state government to keep all recruitment and appointment procedures on hold until the investigation was completed and a transparent review of the results was carried out.

He said only a fair and impartial inquiry could ensure justice for candidates who had appeared for the examination in the hope of securing teaching positions in government colleges.

Stressing that recruitment to public service must be based solely on merit and transparency, the AIADMK leader said the state government had a responsibility to safeguard the integrity of the selection process and ensure that only genuinely eligible candidates were appointed as Assistant Professors.

–IANS

aal/khz