Delhi High Court Agrees To Hear Plea Of The 17 Petitioners Seeking Disclosure Of Prelims Answer Key
New Delhi, September 13, 2023: In a significant development, the Delhi High Court has agreed to hear a petition seeking the disclosure of the answer key for the preliminary examination of the Union Service Public Commission (UPSC) civil services exam. The decision to entertain the plea has ignited hope among aspirants and has been viewed as a crucial step towards transparency in the examination process.
The plea was filed by a group of 17 civil services aspirants who couldn’t succeed in the preliminary examination and asserts that the release of the answer key is vital to ensure fairness and transparency. It contends that the candidates have the right to know the correct answers to the questions asked in the examination, allowing them to assess their performance accurately.
The petitioners have argued that the disclosure of the preliminary answer key is a common practice in many competitive examinations conducted by government agencies, and it enables candidates to gauge their performance, identify areas of improvement, and seek recourse in case of any discrepancies in the evaluation process.
The judgment by Justice Chandra Dhara Singh reads, “This Court is of the considered opinion that mere asking for the answer key, which may be used to assess the performance of the candidates, does not amount to interference in the process of recruitment barring this Court to exercise its jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Constitution of India. As such, in view of the precedents and exposition of the law, this Court is of the view that there is no hurdle in adjudicating the instant petition.”
The court also said that any remarks made herein shall have no impact on any other proceedings before any other Court, and as such, the adjudication in the instant order at present is restricted only to the question of maintainability and the subsequent interminability of the present petition. The order on merits shall be passed after hearing the parties on merits subsequently.
On August 2, the Court had withheld its judgment on the admissibility of the petition. However, it has now scheduled the case for a hearing on merits on September 26.
Aspirants and candidates eagerly await the outcome of this hearing, which could have far-reaching implications for the recruitment process for government jobs in India. The Delhi High Court’s commitment to hearing the plea has been perceived as a positive step towards addressing the concerns of candidates and upholding the integrity of the examination system.
