The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed satisfaction over the Union Public Service Commission’s (UPSC) decision to publish the provisional answer key after conducting the Civil Services Preliminary Examination, calling it a “very positive” and “good development.”
A bench of Justices P. S. Narasimha and A. S. Chandurkar was hearing a batch of petitions filed by civil services aspirants seeking directions to the UPSC to disclose answer keys, cut-off marks, and candidates’ scores after the preliminary examination.
At the outset of the hearing, Justice Narasimha noted, “There is some news we have read.” Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, who was appointed as amicus curiae in the matter, referred to the affidavit recently filed by the UPSC outlining new measures to improve transparency.
“Something very positive has happened,” the bench remarked, adding, “We are happy to note that the UPSC has taken a decision in this regard.” The court then disposed of the pleas, leaving it open to the petitioners to approach the High Court for any further relief.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioners, submitted that the aspirants had filed these pleas because of “wrong question” issues in the exam, which led to loss of several years for many candidates. He also urged the bench to grant the petitioners another opportunity.
The lead petition was filed through advocate Rajeev Kumar Dubey. The bench noted that the Supreme Court had previously dealt with several pleas concerning alleged errors in competitive examination questions.
In its affidavit filed last month, the UPSC informed the court that after “comprehensive deliberation” and considering its constitutional responsibilities, it had taken a “conscious and well considered decision” to:
- Publish the provisional answer key after the preliminary examination is conducted.
- Invite representations or objections from candidates, each supported by three authoritative sources.
- Reject any objections that are not backed by authoritative references at the threshold.
- Place the objections and provisional key before a team of subject experts, who will conduct an in-depth review and finalize the answer key.
- Use the finalized key as the basis for declaring the prelims results.
The Commission also stated its intention to implement these modalities “as expeditiously as possible.” It described the move as “an effective and adequate redressal of the grievances raised in the petition and to enhance the level of transparency in the functioning of the UPSC and also to further the cause of public interest.”
With the UPSC’s decision in place, the Supreme Court disposed of the petitions, noting that the development addressed the core concerns raised by the aspirants.
The UPSC conducts various examinations, including the prestigious Civil Services Examination, which serves as the gateway to India’s top administrative positions.
