HC questions 34th BCS exam results

The High Court yesterday asked the authorities concerned to explain in four weeks why the final results of the 34th Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination, published on August 29, should not be declared illegal.

Irregularities, nepotism and bribery took place in selecting the candidates through the exam, the bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam said in the rule after hearing a writ petition.

Petitioners' counsel Noor Us Sadik told The Daily Star that the Public Service Commission had violated the relevant rules because it did not publish the results based on the merit list, paving way for nepotism and irregularities. Unlike previous years, the results were published in order of the registration numbers, he said.

Chairman, members, secretary and exam controller of PSC, and secretaries to the ministries of education, finance, law and public administration were asked to respond to the rule.

Chowdhury Md Zafar Sharif and Al Masum Rifad, who passed the preliminary and written tests, but failed the viva voce, filed the writ petition with the HC seeking its order on the respondents to rerun the viva voce.