- By Sarju Saran Tiwari
- Wed, 15 Oct 2025 06:04 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
UPSC Provisional Answer Key: In a major step towards transparency in one of India's most competitive exams, the Supreme Court has approved the Union Public Service Commission's (UPSC) decision to publish provisional answer keys immediately after the Civil Services Preliminary (CSE) exam. This move will allow candidates to submit objections before the final results are declared, ending decades of secrecy surrounding the process.
Court Welcomes UPSC's Transparency Shift:
A bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and A.S. Chandurkar approved the UPSC's revised policy, while also disposing of several petitions challenging the commission's long-standing practice of delaying the release of answer keys and cut-off marks.
The court welcomed the UPSC's move, calling it a "thoughtful and well-considered decision" taken after much deliberation. The bench also said that the change was in accordance with the principles of fairness, transparency, and accountability and would help address long-standing concerns of candidates.
Millions Aspirants' Legal Battle For Fairness:
This decision comes in response to legal action initiated by civil service candidates Vidushi Pandey and Himanshu Kumar. They petitioned the court to direct the UPSC to release the answer key and cut-off marks immediately after the preliminary exam.
He argued that the previous policy, which withheld these details until the entire recruitment process was completed, did not give candidates a fair opportunity to evaluate their performance and improve for future attempts.
A Historic Victory For millions of UPSC Candidates:
Reacting to the decision, Vidushi Pandey called it a "historic victory for millions of civil service aspirants." In a statement to ANI, she said, "For the first time, the UPSC will release a provisional answer key immediately after the preliminary exam, giving candidates the opportunity to raise objections and ensure fairness before the results are declared. This reform increases transparency, restores confidence in the examination process, and protects the hard work of candidates who have been preparing for this exam for years."
Policy change sets national precedent:
In its counter-affidavit submitted to the court, the UPSC promised to officially publish the provisional answer key immediately after the preliminary exam. This is a major policy change. By 2023, the Commission had stated that marks, cut-offs, and answer keys would only be made public after the final stage—the interview—was completed. This policy change follows years of recommendations from parliamentary committees and the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), which urged the UPSC to adopt greater transparency.
Despite repeated appeals, the Commission resisted the change until the court intervened on these petitions. The court had previously appointed senior advocate Jaideep Gupta as amicus curiae to assist in the matter and directed that petitions be shared with him for expert input. With Tuesday's Supreme Court order, a long-standing debate on exam transparency has been definitively resolved.
This decision is expected to set a national precedent not only for the UPSC but also for other competitive exams across the country. It promises to bring real-time accountability to the process undertaken by millions of candidates every year, giving them a fair opportunity to challenge errors and build confidence in the integrity of the selection process.