UPSC Tells SC It Will Release Provisional Answer Keys Soon After Civil Services Prelims

The Union Public Service Commission has informed the Supreme Court through an affidavit that it will release the provisional answer key of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination shortly after the test, instead of waiting until the entire exam cycle is over.

Departure From Previous Practice

This move represents a significant change from UPSC’s longstanding approach. In previous years, including the 2023 prelims, the Commission maintained that marks, cut-off scores, and answer keys would be disclosed only after the completion of the entire recruitment process.

The affidavit comes in response to a petition challenging UPSC’s earlier practice of withholding the answer key until the final stage of the Civil Services Examination, highlighting a growing demand for greater transparency in one of India’s most competitive exams.

Push For Transparency

For years, civil service aspirants and other stakeholders have called for early disclosure of answer keys. Parliamentary Committees and directions from the Central Administrative Tribunal had repeatedly recommended that UPSC publish preliminary exam answer keys alongside results. However, these recommendations were largely ignored.

It was only after persistent legal efforts by aspirants Vidushi Pandey and Himanshu Kumar, who challenged the Commission’s opacity over the past 2 years, that UPSC finally agreed to a change. The petitioners argued that the timely disclosure of answer keys, cut-off marks, and candidates’ scores is essential, as withholding this information puts aspirants at a disadvantage and limits their ability to evaluate their performance.

Court Involvement

During the hearings, a bench comprising Justices PS Narasimha and Manoj Misra appointed senior advocate Jaideep Gupta as amicus curiae to assist the Court in the matter.

The petitioners were also directed to provide Gupta with a copy of the petition to aid his submissions.

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