Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC) has cancelled the Group 2 and 2A Main Examinations scheduled for Sunday, February 8, citing a “technical glitch” at select centres. The move has led to the immediate transfer of Examination Controller Shanmugasundaram, who has been replaced by IAS officer Venkatapriya, formerly Secretary of the State Election Commission.

TNPSC Exam cancellation: State-wide postponement due to Chennai centre irregularities

The highly competitive examination, intended to fill 828 vacancies including Assistant Inspector and Assistant Section Officer posts, was abruptly called off after irregularities disrupted the test at three centres in Chennai, including Arumbakkam. The TNPSC stated that in the interest of fairness to all candidates, the exam was cancelled across Tamil Nadu. A new date will be announced later, with hall tickets to be reissued after verification on February 13. The Commission assured that candidates would receive SMS and email alerts 15 days prior to the rescheduled exam.

Political fallout: Opposition condemns “administrative mismanagement”

The cancellation has sparked sharp criticism from opposition parties, who have blamed the ruling DMK government for administrative failure. AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi Palaniswami, BJP State President Nainar Nagendran, and TVK leader Vijay have all condemned the incident, calling it a symptom of mismanagement that jeopardizes the futures of thousands of aspirants.

In response to the controversy, the state government moved swiftly to replace the top official overseeing the process. IAS officer Venkatapriya has taken charge as the new TNPSC Examination Controller, tasked with restoring credibility and ensuring the smooth conduct of the rescheduled examination.