Tribunal to Reassess Contentious Answers in Indian Forest Service Exam, Stressing Judicial Review's Role in Ensuring Fairness
In a significant development, the Delhi High Court has remanded a case back to the Central Administrative Tribunal concerning the correctness of the official answer key for the UPSC Forest Service Examination, 2022. The petitioner, Bisen Anshul Kumar, challenged the accuracy of answers provided in the official key for Questions 88 and 96 of the General Studies Paper-I, arguing that the suggested answers were incorrect. The Tribunal initially dismissed the petition, citing previous decisions, but did not delve into the merits of the petitioner's claims.
Presided over by Justices C. Hari Shankar and Om Prakash Shukla, the High Court underscored the absence of an absolute bar on judicial review concerning the accuracy of answer keys. The Court clarified that while it will not intervene where suggested answers are plausible, it is well within its jurisdiction to correct answers that are demonstrably incorrect.
The petitioner argued that the official answer for Question 88 should have been option (c) rather than option (d), and for Question 96, the correct response was option (b) instead of option (d). The High Court refrained from expressing a definitive opinion on the correctness of these answers, instead pointing out that the Tribunal had failed to address the core issue by focusing solely on its precedent of no absolute right to re-evaluation of exam papers.
The High Court referenced its own prior judgment in "Staff Selection Commission v. Shubham Pal & Ors," affirming that challenges to exam answer keys can indeed be entertained, especially when the answer is evidently incorrect. The case has been remanded to the Tribunal with instructions to reconsider the petition on its merits expeditiously, given its implications for the petitioner's future in the Indian Forest Service.
The Tribunal is set to take up the matter on July 6, 2026, and both parties have been directed to appear without seeking adjournments to ensure a swift resolution. The High Court's decision highlights the critical balance courts must maintain in upholding fairness in competitive examinations while respecting the autonomy of examining bodies.
Bottom line:-
Courts can examine the correctness of suggested answers in official answer keys if the answers are demonstrably incorrect, but they will not interfere in cases where the suggested answers are plausible.
Statutory provision(s): Article 226 of the Constitution of India, Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985
Bisen Anshul Kumar v. Union of India, (Delhi)(DB) : Law Finder Doc id # 2930249
