EPS Demands Probe Into Assistant Professor Exam Results Over Grading Irregularities

On Sunday, AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami demanded that the Tamil Nadu state government launch an independent probe into the recently announced assistant professor recruitment examination results in Chennai. Palaniswami alleged widespread irregularities and arbitrary grading in the descriptive section of the exam, which was conducted to fill vacant positions in government arts and science colleges.

The Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB) released the written exam results on June 25, 2026. The recruitment exam was held last December to fill 2,708 assistant professor vacancies, marking the first such recruitment drive in nearly 25 years. A total of 42,064 candidates appeared for the test.

The examination comprised a 150-mark objective type section and a 50-mark descriptive essay paper. Palaniswami pointed to extreme discrepancies between the two sections as evidence of an inconsistent and biased evaluation process.

According to a statement from Palaniswami, reports indicated that 42 candidates who scored exceptionally high in the objective section were awarded zero marks in the descriptive paper. Additionally, 106 candidates received just one mark in the essay section. He highlighted the case of a candidate from the Tamil department who scored 111 out of 150 in the objective test but was given a zero in the descriptive section.

In contrast, Palaniswami claimed that several candidates who obtained very low marks in the objective section were awarded as high as 49 out of 50 marks in the descriptive paper. He stated that these scores drastically altered the final merit rankings.

The AIADMK leader questioned how a candidate scoring over 100 marks in the objective paper could receive a zero in the descriptive section, or vice versa. He appealed to the state government to immediately cancel the current TRB assistant professor exam results and order a comprehensive independent inquiry, calling for strict legal action against anyone found guilty of malpractice.

Palaniswami also alleged that mismanagement over previous years has left over 50 per cent of assistant professor posts and several principal positions vacant. He claimed this has caused a decline in higher education enrollment from a peak of 51.4 per cent during the AIADMK regime in 2019-20 down to 47 per cent.