Hi... Mr Secretary, MPSC

Waikhom Christopher Singh *

Manipur Public Service Commission (MPSC) Building in Imphal in March 2013 :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

Combined competitive civil services examination, as the name suggests, is one of the most important and prestigious recruitment exam every State Public Service Commission conducts. The fate of the state from the administrative and bureaucratic point of view clings on this exam. Those who get selected through the competitive civil services exams ultimately take the affairs of a State’s administrative machinery. Therefore, in this regard the responsibility of State Public Service Commission is enormous.

In sharp contrast to this responsibility MPSC is drag into the public domain and so in the law court and headlines of local dailies and recently in one national newspaper is an acute tragedy for the people of Manipur at large.

A perspective on contemporary history of MPSC

MPSC (Manipur Public Service Commission) has a characteristic history. To quote the editorial of this paper of its May 22 , 2014 edition titled “Thy name is controversy : MPSC and civil services exam”, “Utter inefficacy, callousness, arrogance and deceit have become the defining words for the commission. Every time MPSC conducts civil services exams, it unfailingly hit the newspaper headlines for all the wrong reasons”.

This article will highlight only its contemporary history. Most of the cases referred here were discussed in details in my article published here in July 24, 2016 titled “Bihar’s prodigal science and Manipur’s MPSC”.

One characteristic incident which took place in its annals of contemporary history was when three college principals were selected by MPSC in 2015 on the basis of calculation of their UGC’s API (Academic Performance Index) points. The said API calculation proved wrong and the appointment and service of the principals were cancelled by the High Court and later by the Supreme Court too. The calculation of the said API was MPSC’s own style though there are categorically clear UGC’s guidelines to calculate API.

And in November, 2014 MPSC came up with two hysterical notifications for recruitment. The notifications were on posts for Assistant Professors in Colleges and Lecturers in Higher Secondary Schools. The issue with the notification was on gross violation of reservation rules/laws of the land.

And in the said notification for the post of 280 Assistant Professors in the colleges of Manipur, leaving aside the reservation rules violation, MPSC issued series of notification which amounted nearly 15 notifications for conducting the screening test. The latest notification was 24 hours prior to the screening test. The last notification was of minor changes.

It was notification on the changes of eligibility criteria. Are changes in eligibility criteria really possible prior to 24 hours within the examination by a notification posted in the MPSC’s walls facing AOC roads and uploaded in its website? They are all duly signed by Secretary, MPSC. So, it is an authentic official notification. But is it a logical notification? Does this notification makes any sense?

Not only illogical notification is the trademark of MPSC. But MPSC is a bad learner. Perhaps a very bad learner. Failed with 3 Principals of colleges’ selection on ground of UGC’s API points they came up with its own style of conducting the selection procedure of the above said 280 Assistant Professors, without following UGC Regulation. These violations of UGC Regulation are all challenged in the High Court of Manipur. So the recruitment notification of November 2014 automatically landed in the High Court and the rest is the testimony of history.

MPSC certainly knows that UGC is the funding agencies but conveniently decline to accept that UGC is also a regulating body. MPSC may kindly read Gazette of India on UGC. It may serve as a wonder for MPSC that as per the Gazette of India, UGC is a regulating body on higher education and it has power to cancel funds (e.g. colleges in Manipur) for non-compliance of its Regulations.

Hurrah! UGC is not only a funding agency but also a regulating authority. Why does MPSC time and again failed to understand this simple piece of information? Why MPSC is in tendency to create doom days for job seekers and eligible candidates of the state? What benefits does MPSC got from this whole fiasco? Does these state of affair has anything to do with encashment? Hell knows!

One is primarily responsible for this whole murky situation. Who it shall be? The government! Department of Personnel! MPSC! Or, you Mr Secretary!

Talk of the town and notoriety of MPSC : MPSC Civil Services Examination, 2016

The Preliminary Examination of MPSC Civil Services Examination, 2016 was scheduled for February 2016. But, it was cancelled because of large number of outsider candidates applying for the highest rank in entry level post meant for administration of the tiny state. So, on 15th May 2016 the Preliminary Examination of MPSC Civil Services Examination, 2016 was conducted.

In this examination the question papers in all the four series A, B, C and D in the 9th section states that there will be no penalty for wrong answers. But, in the next heading the instruction states there will be penalty for wrong answers marked by a candidate in the objective type question papers. This obnoxious instruction only demands the cancellation of the examination and punishes those responsible.

The examination wasn’t cancelled in the next two or three days but it took 18 days for MPSC to realize that this examination has to be cancelled. Wasn’t it a long period for a constitutional body like MPSC? 18 days is beyond doubt a very long time for an institution like MPSC which is capable of declaring the result within 7 working days after the completion of the highly controversial mains examination of MCSCC examination 2016.

For the record, the said controversial mains examination was appeared by 1030 candidates appearing a total of 9040 papers. And the instruction in the answer sheets was allegedly violated by MPSC when invigilators in various centre issued extra sheets against the instruction clearly stipulated that “no extra sheets will be provided under any circumstances”.

What exactly is the calibre of MPSC? It is a huge Pandora box to keen observer of this “so called constitutional body”, Manipur Public Service Commission.

The calibre or notoriety of MPSC is time and again a topic of huge public concern. And it is more of a concern to people who are expecting to compete in the examinations conducted by the MPSC. Thus the headlines, general articles and letter to the editor in the previous month have thoroughly discussed this matter. Even to the extent that for the first time in the history of MPSC, pressure group stormed the office of MPSC.

It was the fine morning of October 17, 2016, the day when interview of MCSCC examination 2016 was started with 28 candidates appearing in a day scheduled for the next 5 days when members of Bharatiya Yuba Morcha Manipur Pradesh (BJYM) stormed the official premise of MPSC shouting slogans like “stop ruining youth future”, “save the youth, save the nation” etc. Paying no heed to the opposition the interview continue and the next day the premise of MPSC was turned into a war zone with heavy deployment of police forces.

For those who missed the interesting part of the present MCSCC examination 2016 it is to be informed that the said mains examination is challenged in the High Court of Manipur on the ground of two points.

Extraordinary calibre to declare result in 7 working days and malafide instruction which violates Articles 14 and 16 on Fundamental Rights provided in the constitution of India. Thus, the result of the interview is put on hold. It is interesting because the extraordinary state of challenging recruitment process has become an ordinary ordeal in this part of the world.

It is logical for any sensible mind to feel fishy with this gamut. An examination conducting body which has to cancel two preliminary examinations and the third was conducted in such a fashion that it was compelled to challenge in the High Court of Manipur for wrong answer keys. To the relieve of those unaware candidates preparing for main examination the writ petition challenging the third preliminary examination was dismiss by the High Court because the time when it was filed the mains examination was about to started in 2-3 days.

One curiosity still surrounds the pattern and method in which this examination was conducted and how its result was declared. Why 7 working days, to declare a result which normally took 2 months as in the case of 2013 and 2014 MCSCC examinations? Is it related with election which is at an inch distance or the rumour with the retirement date of the present incumbent Chairman of MPSC?

Or is it a plain fact that MPSC feel the heat of its malafide instruction which clearly stated that “No extra paper will be issued at any circumstances” will call for a judicial intervention.

Nevertheless the interview of this examination was so design with its schedule that the High Court was in holiday till 16 October from 3 days after the declaration of the mains examination result. This left with the inability of the law court to intervene to the further scandalous process.

What shall be the fate of this recruitment process is perhaps the anxiety of the interview selected candidates and equally for those who are purely aggrieved by the notoriety and malafide conduct of MPSC, a constitutional body which is supposed to be specialised in recruitment of not just eligible candidates but those who are capable of steering the governance of the tiny state of Manipur.

To conclude, it is of undeniable truth that Manipur is a state which is at a far distance to bear the fruit of a systematic and transparent governance where MPSC has meaningfully played cruel responsibility to aggravate it.

How long the notoriety of MPSC will continue?