UPSC to release provisional answer key right after prelims, files affidavit in Supreme Court

UPSC

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has informed the Supreme Court that it will now release the provisional answer key soon after the preliminary examination is over.

In its affidavit, the Commission explained that this decision was reached after “comprehensive deliberation” on multiple aspects, including the recommendations put forward by the court-appointed amicus curiae. Filed through advocate Vardhman Kaushik, the affidavit highlighted that the UPSC, being a constitutional body, had to act with caution and responsibility.

“As a consequence of comprehensive deliberation and considering the pious role assigned to the UPSC as a constitutional body, the Commission has arrived at a conscious and well considered decision as under: (a) Publishing the provisional answer key, after the preliminary examination is conducted,” the document said.

The affidavit further mentioned that candidates would be allowed to raise objections or submit representations regarding the provisional key. However, each such submission would need to be supported by “three authoritative sources” to be considered valid. “Objections, which are not so supported, should be rejected at the threshold,” the Commission clarified. At the same time, it reserved the discretion to decide whether the sources produced could indeed be termed authoritative.

According to the filing, once the objections are collected, they would be referred to subject experts. A team of specialists from the concerned fields will carry out an “in-depth consideration of all the aspects” and then finalize the answer keys. These finalised keys, the Commission stressed, would form the basis of the declaration of preliminary examination results.

The affidavit also reiterated that the “final answer key shall be published after declaration of the final results.”

UPSC assured the court that it intends to begin implementing this process without delay. “The decision taken by the UPSC is considered to be 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,” the affidavit concluded.

The statement was submitted in connection with a petition already pending before the Supreme Court concerning the Civil Services Examination, one of the country’s most prestigious recruitment tests.

With inputs from PTI