No ‘infructuous reliefs’ in large exams, says Delhi High Court

The bench noted that an Expert Committee constituted by the UPSC had already examined the objections and found them meritless.

Delhi High Court (Photo | Express)

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court has rejected petitions challenging the 2023 Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, observing that courts do not exercise writ jurisdiction to grant “infructuous reliefs”, particularly in matters involving large-scale public examinations.

A bench of Justices Anil Kshetarpal and Amit Mahajan dismissed a batch of pleas filed by unsuccessful aspirants questioning Paper-II (CSAT).

The petitioners alleged that certain questions were beyond the prescribed syllabus. The bench noted that an Expert Committee constituted by the UPSC had already examined the objections and found them meritless.

The committee observed that all questions were within the syllabus and were “thought-provoking”, requiring mental ability expected of UPSC aspirants. The court said granting reliefs such as a revised merit list or fresh mains would adversely affect candidates already selected.