UPSC CSE Answer Key Release Date: Provisional Answer Key Will be Released Soon After the Examination

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) presented an affidavit before the Supreme Court of India, revealing that it has undertaken a comprehensive deliberation. Before the Supreme Court bench led by Justice PS Narsimha, the UPSC said it had taken a conscious and well-considered decision in order to enhance transparency. It has been agreed by the UPSC that the provisional answer key will be released soon after the Civil Services Examinations (CSE) preliminary round. This has come in contrast to the practice followed by the commission to wait till the completion of the entire examination process. 

The move comes in response to a petition filed before the Supreme Court, arguing that the delay in the release of the answer key prevented the addressal of the genuine grievances of candidates who weren’t successful. The petition challenged the practice of the UPSC releasing the answer key after the end of the entire examination process. A counter-affidavit was filed by the UPSC before the Supreme Court in the presence of senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, amicus curiae, appointed by the court, and advocate Pranjal Kishore to assist him in the matter. Amicus curiae Jaideep Gupta suggested that the USPC should release a provisional answer key to the preliminary examination a day after the examination is held.

In an affidavit filed on May 13, the UPSC argued that the suggestion, if implemented, might result in a counterproductive action and is likely to lead to uncertainty and delay in finalising the exam. On the contrary, a fresh affidavit was filed on September 20, with the commission saying that it has deliberated upon several factors, including the suggestions of ‘Ld’Amicus’ as appointed by the honorable Supreme Court to help in the matter. In the affidavit, the UPSC emphasized that they have arrived at a conscious and thoroughly considered decision to publish the provisional answer key after the completion of the preliminary examination. 

In addition to this, the petition said that the representations will be sought from the candidates appearing in the examination. The representations are to be supported by a total of three authoritative sources, and without the backing of support, objections are subject to rejection at the threshold. However, it is up to the commission to decide whether the sources produced by the candidate are authoritative or not. 

UPSC CSE Answer Key Release: What the Petition Stated

The UPSC stated in the counter-petition that the provisional answer key and objections or representations obtained from the candidates on both the question paper and answer key are to be placed before the expert panel of the concerned discipline. It is up to the experts to undertake an in-depth consideration of all the aspects before finalising the answer keys. It further added that the answer key finalised in such a manner will constitute the foundation of the declaration of the UPSC prelims results. Moreover, the UPSC stated that the commission desires to commence the process of following the modalities as expeditiously as possible. 

The petition filed against the tradition followed by the UPSC, by advocates Saroj Tripathi and Rajeev Dubey, stated that there is no reason or objective to publish the answer keys, cut-off marks, or marks related to the examination only upon the completion of the exam process. It added that the sole motive of the commission is to frustrate the cause of action, irrespective of how genuine the concern might be of the candidates who were unsuccessful.

The petition emphasized that if the answer keys, scores, and marks are disclosed early, the applicants would have a chance to pursue effective remedies and measures against wrong or incorrect evaluations. Moreover, the candidates would have the right to know that the selected candidates had more marks and were more deserving to be shortlisted. Therefore, the possibility of these would not arise unless the commission discloses the answer keys, accounting for the basis of evaluation, the cutoff marks, and the marks obtained by the candidates.