Published By: Sheen Kachroo
Last Updated: July 15, 2023, 09:39 IST
The petitioners’ counsel sought the postponement of the invitation to apply for the Mains application (File photo: News18)
Justice Chandra Dhari Singh of Delhi High Court dismissed the petition of some 17 unsuccessful civil service aspirants. The judge further stated that exam is crucial for talented people
The Delhi High Court has refused to put a stay on the Union Public Service Commission’s (UPSC) decision to invite applications for the Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2023. Justice Chandra Dhari Singh denied a suit filed by several civil services aspirants and said that the application has been “dismissed”. The application was made in a pending petition by 17 unsuccessful UPSC candidates demanding the answer key to the preliminary exam conducted earlier this year.
The petitioners’ counsel sought the postponement of the invitation to apply for the Mains application, arguing that otherwise their main case, which concerns the preliminary round of tests, will become infructuous. The Delhi High Court, however, stated verbally that the exam is crucial for “talented people” rather than those seeking writ petitions.
The application claims that by providing the form, the UPSC demonstrated “undue hastiness” to “subvert the process of law and justice and carry on its arbitrary practises in a covert manner”. It further stated that the UPSC had “successfully” dismissed cases in the “past” due to them being “infructuous owing to non-compliance, the passage of time or change in circumstances”.
The candidates filed the motion in a writ petition in response to a news release issued on June 12 which said that the preliminary exam answer key would be released only “after the entire process of the Civil Services Examination 2023 is completed”. The main petition also asked the exam conducting body to provide the answer key as soon as possible.
The main writ petition further argued that when a competitive exam is held, the answer key to the questions (multiple choice questions) is usually arranged ahead of time so that it can be released after the exam, providing a “fair evaluation to the candidates”. The Delhi High Court, on July 3, had asked the UPSC to file its preliminary objections in the main petition. However, it refused to provide a notice of the plea and scheduled the hearing for July 26.
