New Delhi, Oct 4
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has informed the Supreme Court that it has “arrived at a conscious and well considered decision†to publish and review the provisional answer keys for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination.
The decision was placed before the apex court through an affidavit filed by the Joint Secretary (Exams), UPSC, in response to a pending writ petition that raised serious concerns of the student community regarding the opacity, and lack of transparency and accountability on the part of the UPSC in conducting the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination -- particularly in concealing material information such as answer keys, cut-off marks, and candidates' scores.
"The Commission has arrived at a conscious and well considered decision," the affidavit said, following "comprehensive deliberation" on various factors, including suggestions made by the amicus curiae appointed by the Supreme Court.
As per the UPSC affidavit, the new procedure involves five steps. First, publishing the Provisional Answer Key after the Preliminary Examination is conducted.
Second, inviting representations/objections from candidates who appeared in the examination. Each objection must be supported by three authoritative sources and "objections which are not so supported should be rejected at the threshold." The UPSC will assess whether the sources produced are authoritative.
Third, placing the provisional answer key and objections before a set/team of subject experts of the concerned discipline/subject for in-depth consideration.
Fourth, finalizing the answer key based on the experts' review. "Such finalized answer key by the aforesaid team of subject/discipline experts shall constitute the basis of the declaration of the results of Preliminary Examination," the affidavit stated. Fifth, publishing the final answer key after the declaration of final results.
In its affidavit, the UPSC said it "desires to start following the modalities explained in the aforesaid decision as expeditiously as possible", terming it "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 Commission has urged the Supreme Court to dispose of the petition in light of its decision.
"It is humbly submitted that this Hon'ble Court be pleased to pass the appropriate orders and dispose of the petition in the light of the decision extracted herein above," the affidavit stated.
The petition, filed through advocate Rajeev Kumar Dubey, claimed that despite several litigations in the past, the UPSC has "successfully dodged" accountability and has failed to assign any reason as to why it is so allergic to the practice of transparency and timely disclosure of answer keys, cut-off marks, and candidates' marks -- a practice commonly followed by almost all state public service commissions, as well as High Courts and other prestigious institutions such as the IITs, IIMs, and many others.
— IANS
Reader Comments
As someone who appeared for prelims twice, this is a welcome change. But I hope they implement it properly and don't make the objection process too bureaucratic. The three sources requirement might be difficult for rural candidates.
Better late than never! State PSCs have been doing this for years. UPSC was really behind the times in this aspect. Hope this brings more fairness to the selection process. 🇮🇳
While I appreciate the increased transparency, I'm concerned about the "authoritative sources" criteria. Who decides what's authoritative? This could create another layer of ambiguity. The process needs to be clearly defined.
This is a step in the right direction, but why did it take Supreme Court intervention? UPSC should have been proactive about transparency. Still, kudos to the judiciary for pushing this through! ðŸ‘
As a coaching institute faculty, I can say this will reduce a lot of anxiety among students. The uncertainty after prelims was always stressful. Hope they implement this before the next cycle!
The five-step process seems comprehensive. Publishing final answer keys after results will help future aspirants too. Good to see Indian institutions evolving with time and public expectations.
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