HC asks UPPSC to be "much more thoughtful" while setting question papers

Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday dismissed a bunch of petitions challenging the results of an examination, conducted by Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) in July this year, but asked the panel "to be much more thoughtful while setting papers for future examinations".

A division bench, comprising Justice V K Shukla and Justice M C Tripathi, passed the order while dismissing petitions filed by Gulab Chand Bharati, Arya Suman Pandey and several others who had challenged the results of preliminary examinations for selection of Assistant Prosecution Officers, held on July 26.

UPPSC had advertised a total of 372 posts and the petitioners, citing discrepancies in the question papers for prelims, had sought permission "to appear provisionally in the Mains" which is to be held on December 27-28.

The court was of the view that following objections raised by candidates with regard to the discrepancies in the multiple-choice question papers, UPPSC had constituted an experts' committee and based on its recommendation deleted four questions.

Hence, the court said, "we do not find that any erroneous evaluation had been made by the examiners" and therefore the petitions were "sans merit".

However, as a parting remark, the court observed "the Commission should be more careful in future while conducting the examinations.

The paper setters and examiners ought to have greater concern for the large number of candidates who appear in these examinations and whose future/career depends upon their selection.

"We expect the Commission to be much more thoughtful while setting papers for future examinations to be conducted by them", the bench said.