Uttarakhand High Court allows candidates to verify answer sheets before final results in PSC exams

Nainital: The Uttarakhand High Court on Wednesday declared as unconstitutional a provision in the state public service commission's recruitment examination that did not allow candidates to verify their answer sheets before the final results of all stages of the test are announced.

A division bench of Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay gave the order while hearing petitions that sought answer sheets of the shorthand examination conducted for recruitment to the post of Additional Private Secretary (APS). As per existing rules, the answer sheet of the shorthand test, which is part of the first stage of the recruitment process, would be released when the final results are announced after the second stage.

The court on Wednesday granted candidates who failed to clear the shorthand test the right to verify their answer sheets after the test results of this specific test are declared. The division bench stated in its order that transparency and fairness in the recruitment process are constitutionally mandated and candidates cannot be denied information related to evaluation.

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Rajveer Singh, Ranveer Singh Tomar, Ruchi Rana, and other candidates had approached the High Court challenging the results of the shorthand examination declared on February 3, 2026. The petitioners stated that the Commission did not allow them to inspect their shorthand notebooks and typed answer sheets, making it impossible to verify the accuracy of the evaluation.

An advertisement was issued on July 18, 2024, for recruitment to 99 posts of Additional Private Secretary at the Dehradun Secretariat and the Uttarakhand Public Service Commission in Haridwar.

The first stage of the selection process included skill tests such as Hindi and English typing, computer knowledge, and shorthand. Only candidates who passed this stage were eligible to appear for the second stage, the written examination. The petitioners argued in court that they had successfully passed other examinations in the first stage of the selection process and performed well in the shorthand test, yet they were not selected in the results. Suspicious of possible errors in evaluation, they requested permission to verify their answer sheets.

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As per existing rules, inspection of answer sheets could only be permitted after the final results (both stages) were declared. The court declared this provision unconstitutional with respect to unsuccessful candidates, stating that if there is an inordinate delay in inspection, it will be nearly impossible to correct any errors later, and this could cause irreparable harm to the candidates. The bench also stated that evaluated answer sheets fall within the category of information under the Right to Information Act, and candidates have the right to inspect and obtain copies of them.

The court ordered that the specific note that disallowed verification at all stages be declared void to the extent it prevents unsuccessful candidates from inspecting their answer sheets. The court also directed that the petitioners be permitted to verify and obtain copies of their shorthand notebooks and answer sheets.