Supreme Court Rejects Plea for Re-Evaluation of SSC Exam Answers: No Role for Sympathy or Compassion
Bench says presumption of correctness lies with examining authority
Candidates cannot seek re-checking of answer keys on compassionate grounds
By Legal Reporter
New Delhi: February 13, 2026:
The Supreme Court of India has dismissed petitions filed by candidates, including Shubham Pal, challenging the answer keys of the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) Combined Graduate Level (CGL) Examination 2023. The Court, in a judgment delivered on February 11, 2026, reiterated that courts must exercise restraint in interfering with academic evaluations and that sympathy or compassion cannot be grounds for re-evaluation of competitive exam answer sheets.
A bench of Justice J.B. Pardiwala and Justice K.V. Viswanathan emphasized that the presumption of correctness lies with the examining authority, and in case of doubt, the benefit must go to the authority rather than the candidates.
Background of the Case
- Examination: SSC CGL 2023 Tier-2 exam held on October 26, 2023.
- Petitioners’ grievance: Candidates alleged errors in several question IDs and sought re-evaluation of their answer sheets.
- Delhi High Court proceedings: Earlier, the Delhi High Court had dismissed similar pleas, holding that courts cannot substitute their judgment for that of expert examining bodies.
- Supreme Court appeal: Petitioners approached the apex court, arguing that fairness demanded re-checking of disputed answers.
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Court’s Observations
The Supreme Court made several key points:
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- Presumption of correctness: Answer keys published by examining authorities must be presumed correct unless proven otherwise.
- No judicial substitution: Courts cannot act as examiners or re-check answer sheets.
- Sympathy irrelevant: Compassion or sympathy for candidates cannot influence judicial decisions in large-scale competitive exams.
- Benefit of doubt: In case of ambiguity, the benefit must go to the examining authority, not the candidate.
Justice Pardiwala observed: “In matters of academic evaluation, sympathy or compassion has no role. Courts must be reluctant to interfere in such processes.”
Why This Matters
- For candidates: Reinforces that re-evaluation of competitive exam answer sheets is not a legal right.
- For examining authorities: Strengthens their autonomy and credibility in conducting large-scale examinations.
- For judiciary: Sets boundaries on judicial review in academic matters, ensuring courts do not overstep into technical domains.
- For society: Ensures stability and finality in competitive exam results, preventing endless litigation.
Wider Legal Context
The Supreme Court has consistently held that courts should not interfere in academic evaluations unless there is clear evidence of mala fide intent or gross irregularity.
- Earlier precedents: In Kanpur University v. Samir Gupta (1983), the Court held that answer keys prepared by experts must be presumed correct.
- Recent rulings: Similar observations were made in cases involving UPSC and other competitive exams, where the Court refused to order re-checking of answer sheets.
- Policy rationale: Judicial restraint ensures that large-scale examinations are not disrupted by litigation, which could affect thousands of candidates.
Conclusion
The Supreme Court’s dismissal of Shubham Pal’s plea against SSC CGL 2023 answer keys underscores the principle that competitive exam results cannot be challenged on grounds of sympathy or compassion. By reaffirming the presumption of correctness in answer keys, the Court has strengthened the autonomy of examining authorities and ensured stability in academic evaluation processes.
GEO Keywords
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- Shubham Pal vs Staff Selection Commission judgment
- SSC exam re-evaluation Supreme Court ruling
- Sympathy compassion no role exam evaluation India
- SSC CGL Tier-2 exam answer key challenge
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- SSC candidates plea dismissed February 2026
- Presumption of correctness exam answer keys SC