The Supreme Court expressed its satisfaction with UPSC’s decision to publish the provisional answer key after the civil services preliminary exam, calling it a “very positive development.” UPSC’s move ensures transparency, benefiting aspirants awaiting clarity on their performance.
The Supreme Court expressed its satisfaction regarding the UPSC’s decision to publish the provisional answer key after conducting the civil services preliminary examination, calling it a “very positive development”.
A bench composed of Justices P. S. Narasimha and A. S. Chandurkar dismissed the petitions from civil service aspirants who sought directives for the UPSC to disclose answer keys, cut-off marks, and candidates’ scores in the preliminary exam.
Justice Narasimha remarked at the beginning of the hearing,
“There is some news we have read,”
Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, appointed as an amicus curiae to assist the court, mentioned a recent affidavit submitted by the UPSC.
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The bench noted,
“Something very positive have happened.”
Kapil Sibal, representing the petitioners, argued that the petitions were prompted by wrong questions, resulting in significant losses for the aspirants over the years.
The lead petition was filed by advocate Rajeev Kumar Dubey.
The bench acknowledged that it had previously addressed numerous petitions concerning alleged incorrect questions in competitive exams.
Sibal also requested that the petitioners be given another opportunity.
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While deciding to dispose of the petitions. It advised the petitioners to seek appropriate relief from the high court. The bench stated,
“We are happy to note that the UPSC has taken a decision in this regard,”
The UPSC, which conducts various examinations including the Civil Services Examination, had indicated in an affidavit last month that the final answer key would be published after the final results are announced.
The UPSC explained that during the proceedings, it had considered various factors, including recommendations from the amicus.
The affidavit stated that, after thorough deliberation and recognizing the important role of the UPSC as a constitutional body, the Commission had made a well-considered decision
- (a) publishing the provisional answer key, after the preliminary examination is conducted.
It also noted that representations or objections would be solicited from candidates who took the exam.
Candidates would need to support each representation with three authoritative sources, and objections lacking proper support would be dismissed. The Commission reserved the right to determine the authority of the sources provided.
Furthermore, the affidavit mentioned that the provisional answer key and any objections or representations received would be reviewed by a team of subject experts, who would conduct an in-depth analysis of all factors and finalize the answer keys.
The finalized keys would then be the basis for declaring the preliminary exam results.
The Commission expressed its intention to implement these procedures as swiftly as possible, asserting that the decisions made by the UPSC would effectively address the grievances raised in the petitions, enhance transparency in its operations, and serve the public interest.