SC CLEARS WAY FOR UPPSC MAINS ON JUNE 18

NEW DELHI: The SC on Thursday refused to stay the UPPSC mains examination on June 18 and set aside the Allahabad high court order for a re-evaluation of answer sheets of the preliminary test. A vacation bench of justices U U Lalit and Deepak Gupta allowed the appeal of UPPSC against the high court order. The bench dismissed petitions by students, who had demanded a stay on the mains examination saying UPPSC has not complied with the HC order.

›

We allow the appeal of the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission and set aside the HC order. The petitions seeking stay of the mains examination are dismissed

THE COURT

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court set aside the Allahabad high court order for re-evaluation of answer sheets of the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission’s (UPPSC) preliminary test. The apex court also refused to put on hold the main exams.

A bench of justice UU Lalit and justice Deepak Gupta allowed the UPPSC’s appeal against the high court order and dismissed petitions by the students, who had demanded a stay on the mains examination, saying the UPPSC had not complied with the HC directive.

“We allow the appeal of the UPPSC and set aside the HC order. The petitions seeking stay of the mains examination are dismissed,” the court said.

The SC had on Tuesday said the sanctity of an examination would be lost if courts through their power of judicial review interfere with the decisions taken by authorities conducting competitive tests. It said a line needs to be drawn to determine to what extent a judicial review of the decisions taken by the authorities can be allowed.

The students alleged that answers to several questions asked in the UPPSC preliminary examination last year were “incorrect.”

They also said the UPPSC had not followed the Allahabad high court’s March 30 order for re-evaluation of answer sheets of the preliminary test.

The mains examination, which was postponed earlier, is now scheduled to be held on June 18.

The HC had on March 30 said the candidates found to have qualified the preliminary examination as a result of re-evaluation would be entitled to appear in the main written exam.

The UPPSC had challenged the HC order in the top court, which had on May 18 stayed the high court’s directive.