Central Administrative Tribunal issues notice to UPSC over 8 civil services exam questions

The Central Administrative Tribunal has issued a request for information to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) following a legal challenge filed by students. These students contend that eight questions within the General Studies and CSAT sections of the recent Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination lacked correct answers among the four options provided.

The students argue that this oversight has affected more than 16 marks, including those deducted for incorrect answers. The next hearing of the case before the tribunal is set for October 8, 2025. On August 17, legal counsel Shantanu Jugtawat, representing the students, petitioned the tribunal for an interim order allowing the applicants to take the upcoming Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2026, provisionally.

Jugtawat also requested the tribunal to direct the UPSC to clarify whether the applicants' concerns have been addressed and to authorize an increase in the number of candidates deemed qualified to sit for the 2026 Civil Services (Main) Examination. The students appeared for the General Studies Paper-I and CSAT Paper-II of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination on May 24, 2026.

The UPSC released a provisional answer key on May 27, 2026, and invited objections to the same. After scrutinizing the provisional answers against trustworthy sources such as government documents, international conventions, statutory notifications, and official ministry records, the students identified discrepancies in the question paper.

At least eight questions were found to have no correct option among the four choices, and these inaccuracies cumulatively impacted more than 16 marks, including those derived from negative marking. The students submitted comprehensive objections to the UPSC Question Paper Representation Portal during the official representation window.

Additionally, they sent an email on June 2, 2026, detailing the factual and legal grounds for each disputed question and requesting the commission to review and amend the provisional answer key before its finalization. However, the UPSC has not responded to these inquiries. Given that the evaluation of the disputed questions could significantly influence the students' chances of qualifying for the Civil Services (Main) Examination, which commenced on August 21, 2026, the students had to seek legal recourse as they did not receive a satisfactory response from the commission.