The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Monday issued a notice to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) over a petition challenging eight allegedly “defective” questions in the 2026 Civil Services Preliminary Examination. The petitioners claimed that the disputed questions contained factual errors, incorrect answers in the provisional key, no valid option or material outside the officially notified syllabus.
Sachin Tiwari and two other candidates who appeared for the 2026 Prelims have challenged Questions 7, 11, 45, 60, 62, 82, 86 and 96 of General Studies Paper-I, Set A.
They have filed the case against UPSC and the Union of India and are represented by advocate Shantanu Jugtawat, an NLIU Bhopal alumnus.
WHAT ARE THE 8 QUESTIONS?
UPSC released the provisional answer key for General Studies Paper-I on May 27, 2026, and invited candidates to submit objections. The petitioners said they examined the answer key against primary government records, statutory provisions, official documents and other authoritative material before raising their objections.
They challenged the answers provided by UPSC for Questions 7, 45, 60, 82, 86 and 96, arguing that they conflicted with authoritative sources. Regarding Questions 11 and 62, they claimed that none of the four options was legally or factually valid.
OBJECTIONS RAISED TO UPSC
The candidates submitted their objections through UPSC’s Question Paper Representation Portal within the specified period. They also emailed a detailed representation to the Commission on June 2, outlining the alleged errors question by question and attaching supporting documents, official records and other relevant material.
According to the petitioners, UPSC did not respond to their representations. They said they were therefore unaware of whether their objections had been examined.
They moved the tribunal after the results of the 2026 Civil Services Preliminary Examination were announced. The response sought from UPSC is expected to address their allegations and their request to correct or remove the disputed questions. The candidates have also asked the Commission to clarify whether their objections were considered and, if they were rejected, provide the reasons behind the decisions.
WHAT ARE THEY SEEKING FROM UPSC?
The applicants have asked the tribunal to direct UPSC to examine their objections and rectify the provisional answer key. They have also sought the removal of the disputed questions from the evaluation process, along with appropriate consequential relief for affected candidates.
As an interim measure, they requested that UPSC be directed to disclose how their objections were handled, including whether the disputed questions were accepted for correction or rejected and the reasons for the respective decisions.
COULD IT AFFECT THE PRELIMS CUT-OFF OR MAINS?
The petitioners estimate that the disputed questions, together with the effect of negative marking, could have an impact of more than 16 marks. They argued that this could constitute a substantial portion of the expected qualifying cutoff and potentially influence candidates’ chances of clearing the Preliminary Examination for the Civil Services Main Examination.
The petition makes clear that the challenge is confined to specific questions rather than seeking a complete reopening of the examination. The applicants have cited Supreme Court judgments dealing with judicial review of demonstrably erroneous answer keys and argued that objectively verifiable mistakes can justify judicial intervention.
The tribunal has sought UPSC’s response to the allegations and the relief requested by the petitioners. This includes disclosure of how their objections to the disputed questions were considered and whether they were accepted for correction or rejected, along with the reasons for the decisions.
The next hearing is scheduled for October 8, 2026.
