- Deputy Registrar selection questioned over transparency, evaluation lapses
- Delayed exam disclosures, disputed answers alleged to have altered merit
- Category shift in final list raises reservation compliance concerns
NE EDUCATION BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, DEC 17
A candidate claiming to be a victim of procedural lapses has sought the Prime Minister’s direct intervention over alleged irregularities in the recruitment process for the post of Deputy Registrar at Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT), Surat.
The detailed representation, routed through the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), grievance redressal authorities and the Department of Higher Education, raises serious concerns about transparency, evaluation integrity and accountability in the selection process initiated through a notification dated October 9, 2024.
Compressed selection timeline flagged
According to the representation, the written examination was conducted on May 2, 2025, followed by document verification on the same evening and interviews the very next day. The complainant has alleged that such a compressed timeline deprived candidates of any meaningful opportunity to verify marks, raise objections or seek clarifications prior to the interview stage.
Despite multiple representations seeking access to examination-related records—including the question paper, answer key, OMR sheets and marks list—the materials were allegedly not shared until July 29, 2025, well after the interviews and critical stages of selection had concluded.
Disputed questions and merit impact
The complainant has submitted a detailed analysis pointing to multiple discrepancies in the evaluation process. Two questions in the examination have been described as ambiguous, allegedly carrying more than one correct option, while two others are claimed to have been assigned incorrect official answers.
As per the submission, the original evaluation resulted in 95 marks, falling short of the qualifying cut-off. Correction of the allegedly incorrect answers would raise the score to 100 marks, meeting eligibility norms, while accounting for the disputed ambiguous questions would further elevate the score to 105 marks, significantly altering the merit position.
Reservation compliance questioned
The plea also flags a serious concern regarding reservation norms. It alleges that a candidate initially listed under the General category in the document verification shortlist was subsequently appointed under the OBC–Non Creamy Layer category in the final selection list, without any public clarification or notification.
Appeal for independent inquiry
Invoking constitutional principles of equality, fairness and transparency in public employment, the victim has urged the Prime Minister to order an independent and comprehensive inquiry, including a CBI investigation, into the recruitment process.
The representation also seeks accountability for alleged misleading responses provided to grievance redressal mechanisms and calls for scrapping the entire recruitment process to restore institutional credibility and public confidence.
Stating that the appeal has been made in good faith and in public interest, the complainant has urged swift intervention to safeguard probity in higher education recruitment and ensure justice in the matter.
