Published on: 14 July 2023 at 12:00 IST
The Delhi High Court has declined to halt the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) from accepting applications for the Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2023. In a pending case, a single-judge bench presided over by Justice Chandra Dhari Singh dismissed an application made by several aspiring civil servants seeking to stop the issuance of the Detailed Application Form-1 (DAF) by the UPSC, which was released on July 10. The applicants argued that the issuance of the DAF rendered their main plea for the answer key of the preliminary exam “infructuous.”
According to the application, the UPSC’s issuance of the DAF demonstrated a sense of urgency to undermine the legal process and justice, engaging in arbitrary practices in a concealed manner. The application also highlighted previous instances where the UPSC had successfully dismissed cases due to non-compliance, the passage of time, or changes in circumstances, thus rendering them “infructuous.”
The aspirants had filed the application as part of a writ petition against a June 12 press release that stated the answer key for the preliminary exam would only be uploaded after the completion of the entire Civil Services Examination 2023. The main plea also sought a directive for the immediate publication of the answer key by the UPSC.
The main writ petition emphasized that it is customary for the answer key to be prepared in advance for competitive exams, allowing for its release after the examination to ensure a fair evaluation of the candidates. However, the June 12 press release indicated that the answer keys, along with the marks and cut-off marks for the CS(P) Examination, 2023, would only be uploaded on the UPSC website after the entire examination process is concluded and the final result is declared.
Justice Singh had previously granted the commission 10 days to file its preliminary objections without issuing notice in the main plea. The matter is scheduled for a hearing on July 26.