https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Delhi HC Considers Maintainability of CS Aspirants’ Plea for Prelims Answer Key

Counsel was also given time to provide written submissions on the petition's maintainability
Indian Masterminds Stories

The Delhi High Court reserved its decision on the maintainability of a petition filed by 17 civil service aspirants challenging the Union Public Service Commission’s (UPSC) decision to publish the answer key for the Civil Services Examination 2023 only after the final result was announced.

Justice Chandra Dhari Singh further noted the aspirants’ counsel’s position that the other two prayers in the petition – challenging the preliminary test and re-conducting the exam – are not being pursued in the case.

On July 3, the high court had asked the UPSC to file its preliminary objections on the plea.

The petition also challenges the UPSC press release announcing the preliminary examination results on June 12. The UPSC stated in it that “candidates are also informed that marks, cut off marks, and answer keys of the CS(P) Examination, 2023 will be uploaded on the Commission’s website, i.e. https://upsc.gov.in only after the entire process of the Civil Services Examination 2023 is completed, that is, after the declaration of the final result.”

According to the submission, the impugned press notice has been challenged on the grounds that the UPSC is not making the answer key available to the candidates, calling the action “arbitrary.”

The petition requests that the UPSC publish the answer key immediately.

Counsel also argued that the high court has jurisdiction to hear the civil service candidates’ grievances. Previously, UPSC advocate Naresh Kaushik raised an objection, claiming that the matter should be handled by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which is the competent forum and where another group of aspirants has already moved to reduce the cut off for qualifying Part II (CSAT) exam from 33% to 23%.

He argued that the petition was maintainable and that the Administrative Tribunals Act forbade the high court from hearing the dispute over the recruitment procedure. He also claimed that the contested news release is part of the recruitment process, and thus the high court lacks jurisdiction to hear the petition.

The petitioners claim that the recruiting cycle was conducted arbitrarily, citing the unavailability of answer keys, rejecting candidates’ representations, and posing excessively unclear questions that required guesswork.

They have argued that releasing the answer key after the exam would ensure fairness and allow candidates to have a better understanding of the evaluation process.

The petition also highlights that other institutions, such as state Public Service Commissions, IITs, NLUs, IIMs, and the High Court of Delhi for the Delhi Judicial Service Examination, promptly release provisional answer keys and invite objections from candidates before finalising the answer key based on those objections.


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
E-courts
Justice Goes Digital: Centre Accelerates Judicial Infrastructure and e-Courts Transformation Nationwide
BEML-Limited
BEML Strengthens Operational Capacity with Rs1.05 Crore ITCONS Manpower Contract- Know More
Manoj Govil
Centre Assigns Additional Charge of Secretary (Security) to IAS Manoj Govil Amid Leadership Transition
Indian Oil IOCL
Leadership Shift at Indian Oil: CMD Arvinder Singh Sahney Takes Over Additional Charge as Director (Marketing)
Pushpendra Singh 1
Elite Commando-Turned-Strategist: Lt Gen Pushpendra Singh Takes Charge as Army’s Vice Chief
India Post
Nationwide Infrastructure Boost: NBCC Partners with Department of Posts for Redevelopment of Postal Land
Sharad Agarwal IPS
New Mizoram DGP Sharad Agarwal Begins Tenure with Reform Agenda, Brings 25+ Years of Policing Experience - Details Inside
Supreme Court resized
No More Bail for Money Promises: Supreme Court Orders End to Practice Undermining Judicial Integrity
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
IRAS Ananth Rupanagudi’s Take on Corruption, Reform, and Duty
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
What Most Indians Don't Know About Jim Corbett
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-24 at 18.24
How Fireflies and Butterflies Returned In Corbett’s Homeland
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
BPSC Bihar police
From Lantern Light to Police Uniform: How Praveen Kumar from a Small Bihar Village Cracked BPSC to Become SDPO
From a lantern-lit village in Bihar to becoming an SDPO, Praveen Kumar's journey is a testament to resilience,...
IAS Priyansha Garg
Why Mindset Matters: IAS Priyansha Garg’s Mental Health Mantra for UPSC
After two failed prelims, Priyansha Garg cracked UPSC with AIR 31 in her fourth attempt, proving how...
Ashish Akshat
From Setback to State Topper: How Ashish Akshat Topped JPSC While Working Full-Time
Ashish Akshat from Dhanbad topped JPSC 2023, proving that resilience, discipline, and family support...
Social Media
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve
Mudumalai Tiger Reserve: From India’s First Sanctuary to a Tiger Conservation Success Story | International Tiger Day Special
IAS Supriya Sahu Hails Mudumalai's Role in Tiger Conservation on Tiger Day. Declared in 1940, Now Among...
Mangroves
Mangroves: Nature’s Shield Against Disasters, Says Officer Parveen Kaswan on Mangroves Day - Watch His Post Here
Mangroves, with their dense, interlaced root systems, form a mesh-like structure that serves as a buffer...
Retired IPS Inderjit Singh Sidhu
Purpose Doesn’t Retire: How 88-Year-Old Retired DIG Becomes Chandigarh’s ‘Quiet Warrior’ of Cleanliness
Inderjit Singh Sidhu’s Dawn Patrol Earns Applause, Mahindra’s Praise for a Man Who Chose Action Over...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
E-courts
Justice Goes Digital: Centre Accelerates Judicial Infrastructure and e-Courts Transformation Nationwide
BEML-Limited
BEML Strengthens Operational Capacity with Rs1.05 Crore ITCONS Manpower Contract- Know More
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Ananth Rupanagudi IRAS
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-26 at 13.16
WhatsApp Image 2025-07-24 at 18.24
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT