The Delhi High Court has dismissed an appeal by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) regarding the inclusion of slang words in its official answer key, reinforcing the standard of formal English usage in competitive examinations. The decision, originating from a Letters Patent Appeal filed by the SSC, upheld a prior ruling by a Single Judge who found a provided answer in the SSC’s Combined Graduate Level Examination to be incorrect.
In a pronounced judgment, the Division Bench, consisting of Justice C. Hari Shankar and Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain, articulated the necessity of judicial intervention when apparent errors in exam answer keys could lead to injustice for candidates. The justices stressed that overlooking such errors contradicts the judicial oath to rectify obvious injustices. “If the Court is satisfied that the answer provided in the impugned answer key is obviously incorrect… the Court has necessarily to step in and set aright the situation,” Justice Shankar remarked.
The crux of the case centered around a specific question in the SSC examination, which asked candidates to form meaningful words from the letters O, K, E, and Y. According to the official answer key, ‘YOKE’ and ‘OKEY’ were acceptable answers. However, the respondents challenged the validity of ‘OKEY,’ arguing it was an informal variant of ‘OKAY’ and not a standard English word.
The SSC defended the answer, claiming ‘OKEY’ as a casual but acceptable usage. However, the Single Judge previously handling the writ petition sided with the respondents, asserting that the examination’s intent clearly excluded slang or informal language. The judgment emphasized that the only meaningful word fitting formal English criteria from the given letters was ‘YOKE.’
The High Court’s decision not only supported the Single Judge’s findings but also reinforced the limited scope for judicial interference in academic matters, albeit stressing it as necessary under exceptional circumstances where clear mistakes are made. “In few rare and exceptional cases, the Courts can interfere… however, to a ‘limited extent,'” the bench declared, underscoring the judiciary’s cautious but decisive role in maintaining fairness in academic assessments.
This ruling has implications for the crafting of exam questions and answer keys, particularly in high-stakes environments like the SSC examinations, which have significant consequences on the career trajectories of countless aspirants across India. The court’s insistence on adhering to formal language standards aims to ensure equity and correctness in the evaluation process, thereby upholding both the integrity of the examination and the legitimate expectations of its participants.
