HYDERABAD, Sept 26: The Hyderabad circuit bench of the Sindh High Court on Monday issued notices to officials of the Sindh Public Service Commission, the secretary of the Services and General Administration Department and 10 candidates on a petition alleging foul play in the SPSC’s 2003 viva voce examination.
The respondents have been asked to appear in court on October 10.
The petition filed by Nabi Bux Sathio, a candidate, challenges the viva voce examination of the 10 candidates who were later declared successful and requests the court to reject the recommendation letter issued by SPSC on June 27, 2004 and uphold the letter it had issued earlier on June 24, 2004, declaring him successful.
Mr Sahito who is appearing for himself states that an examiner awarded a candidate, Ghulam Murtaza Mastoi (Roll No.2470), 77 marks of history of Sindhi literature but the marks were later cut down to just four perhaps due to some personal enmity by someone who was at the helm of affairs at the commission.
Showing a copy of the answer sheet, he said that the SPSC’s controller of examinations who faced suspension under charges of illegal practices had prepared a press release to be issued on June 24, which showed him and a few other candidates successful.
But for unknown reasons the release was not issued to the press. Instead, a new press release was issued on June 27 by SPSC’s Karachi sub-office with his and a few others’ roll numbers omitted, Mr Sahito said adding that it proved mala fide intention on part of SPSC chairman.
He requested the court declare as null and void the 2003 viva voce examination which selected the candidates who happened to be close relatives of high and serving government officials.
The petitioner cited as respondents Ahsan Mustafa Bhutto, son of Mohammad Hussain Bhutto (chairman SPSC), Nisar Ahmed Leghari, son of secretary Services and General Administration, Fawad Ghaffar Soomro, son of secretary of revenue government of Sindh, Shoaib Ahmed Khero, Mahmoona Shah, daughter of Syed Hassan Shah (special judge for Drugs Court), Imran Bhatti, Ali Anwar Ruk, Imran Qureshi, Raja Mustafa Ali and Javed Daudpoto.
Earlier, in a miscellaneous application, Mr Sahito requested the court make Ghulam Murtaza Memon a party in the petition as he was caught red handed using unfair means during written test of Islamic history-I on January 2, 2004.
The invigilator and supervisor of examination centre had informed the SPSC about the incident following which his and a few others’ results were withheld, he said.
In spite of the invigilator’s complaint about use of unfair means by the respondent, the SPSC’s inquiry committee gave him benefit of doubt and rewarded him instead with recommendation. His name made it to the successful candidates’ list while the result of his brothers-in-crime was cancelled because they could not afford to please the SPSC officers.
When Ghulam Murtaza Memon failed to get himself onto the merit list because even he had attained too few marks for recommendation to be any use, but suddenly he was on top of the list after someone changed the marks on the front sheet of his answer copy of the history of Sindhi literature and gave his exceptional marks in all the five questions, he said.