Courts can examine the correctness of answer keys, says Delhi high court

NEW DELHI: Delhi high court has asked Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) to hear afresh a plea by a UPSC exam aspirant who challenged the correctness of answer keys to two questions. Remitting the matter back to CAT for consideration again, the HC noted that a candidate challenging the correctness of an answer key is not the same as seeking reevaluation of the answer sheet, making it legally viable for courts to intervene if there was a blatant error.“It is settled law that there is no absolute bar on a court examining such a contention and that, if the suggested answers as per the suggested answer keys are patently incorrect, the court can interfere,” a bench of Justices C Hari Shankar and O P Shukla noted, while hearing a plea by an aspirant who took the Indian Forest Service examination conducted by UPSC. The petitioner challenged the answer keys, arguing that he gave the correct option but was not awarded the marks. CAT dismissed his plea on the ground that it can’t order re-evaluation, and without examining the merits of the challenge. The HC said the Tribunal had erred in its approach, as the petitioner was not seeking re-evaluation of examination papers, but was questioning the correctness of the answers in the answer key released by the authorities. In such case where the answer is “demonstrably unacceptable”, the court would definitely interfere”, the bench said, setting aside CAT’s order dated Dec 12, 2025. The bench asked the Tribunal to take up the matter on the next date of hearing, and to “take a view thereon as expeditiously as possible”.