New Delhi, Oct 4 (NationPress) The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has notified the Supreme Court that it has made a conscious and well-considered decision to release and review the provisional answer keys for the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination.

This decision was communicated to the apex court through an affidavit submitted by the Joint Secretary (Exams) at UPSC, responding to a pending writ petition that highlighted significant concerns from the student community regarding the lack of transparency and accountability in the UPSC's handling of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, especially in relation to withholding critical information such as answer keys, cut-off marks, and candidate scores.

The affidavit stated, “The Commission has arrived at a conscious and well-considered decision,” following comprehensive deliberation on various factors, including recommendations made by the amicus curiae appointed by the Supreme Court.

According to the UPSC affidavit, the new process consists of five steps. Firstly, the provisional answer key will be published after the Preliminary Examination concludes.

Secondly, the commission will invite representations or objections from candidates who participated in the examination. Each objection must be substantiated by three authoritative sources, and “objections that lack such support will be dismissed immediately.” The UPSC will evaluate the authenticity of the provided sources.

Thirdly, the provisional answer key along with the objections will be reviewed by a team of subject experts in the relevant discipline for thorough consideration.

Fourthly, the answer key will be finalized based on the experts’ evaluations. The affidavit noted that “the finalized answer key by the aforementioned team of experts will serve as the foundation for declaring the results of the Preliminary Examination.” Lastly, the final answer key will be published following the announcement of the final results.

The UPSC expressed its intention to implement the modalities outlined in this decision as promptly as possible, describing it as “an effective and adequate redressal of the grievances” raised in the petition, aimed at enhancing transparency in its operations and furthering public interest.

The Commission has requested the Supreme Court to dismiss the petition in light of its decision.

In the affidavit, it was submitted, “We respectfully request the Hon'ble Court to issue the appropriate orders and dispose of the petition based on the aforementioned decision.” The petition, filed by advocate Rajeev Kumar Dubey, asserted that despite numerous litigations in the past, the UPSC has “successfully evaded” accountability and has not justified its resistance to adopting a practice of transparency and timely disclosure of answer keys, cut-off marks, and candidates' scores—a standard procedure followed by nearly all state public service commissions, High Courts, and esteemed institutions such as IITs and IIMs.