Parliamentary panel for publicising SC exam marking process; UPSC differs

The civil services examination is conducted by UPSC annually in three stages --preliminary, main and interview -- to select officers for IAS, IFS and IPS, among others.

New Delhi: A parliamentary panel's recommendation to make public details on moderation of marks of aspirants of civil services examination has not been accepted by both the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and the government.

The civil services (CS) examination is conducted by UPSC annually in three stages--preliminary, main and interview-- to select officers for Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among others.

The Department Related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, in its report tabled in Parliament recently, has desired that the UPSC should examine whether details with respect to moderation of marks can be put in the public domain so that the fairness of the Commission is not questioned and also the desired level of transparency prevails.

In its reply, the UPSC said the marking system which includes moderation, is an integral component of the Commission's evaluation process, to which it assigns a high degree of confidentiality.

"This modality of moderation has evolved over a period of time and is based on a rational criteria which has stood the test of time. The Commission makes merit-based recruitment and maintains the highest standards of integrity and fair play in the examinations and selection processes.

"The Commission, therefore, does not support the proposal for placing such confidential information pertaining to its internal evaluation processes in the public domain, which could have a high litigation potential that may impinge on the confidentiality and integrity of the examination process," the report said mentioning the reply of the examination- conducting body.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), nodal authority for UPSC, has agreed with the response given by the Commission before the panel.