Supreme Court allows UPSC to release provisional Civil Service Exam answer keys

In a turning point for the UPSC, the Supreme Court accepted the Union Public Service Commission's (UPSC) proposal to release provisional answer keys immediately following the Civil Services Preliminary Examination. 

Following considerable deliberation, the Supreme Court bench led by Justices PS Narasimha and AS Chandurkar issued the ruling recently. The bench noted that the Commission's revised affidavit was a "conscious and well-considered decision."

After the exam, the UPSC will open a window for objections and challenges to the answer key before declaring the results. Notably, the bench dismissed a series of petitions challenging the UPSC's previous policy of delayed disclosure, Mint reports.

According to the Supreme Court, the revamped mechanism successfully answers candidates' concerns while also aligning the UPSC's operations with the ideals of justice, accountability, and transparency. 

This change is the result of UPSC aspirants Vidushi Pandey and Himanshu Kumar's efforts (represented by senior advocate Kapil Sibal) to ensure that answer scripts are published on schedule.

The two civil service aspirants petitioned the Court for the early publishing of answer keys, cut-off marks, and candidate scores. They contended that withholding the results until the end of the exam cycle denied applicants a fair opportunity to assess their performance and learn from mistakes.

Once the provisional answer key is issued following the UPSC exam, candidates will be able to challenge the answers to each question, as long as each objection is supported by at least three reputable sources.

After this, a panel of experts in the relevant subject will finalise the answer keys. It is important to note that the final answer keys will be released following the announcement of the final results.