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Significant relief has arrived for candidates involved in various recruitment examinations in Uttarakhand, including the PCS exams. In a landmark verdict, the Uttarakhand High Court has ruled that candidates must be granted the right to verify their answer sheets without having to wait for the final results to be declared. Emphasizing the necessity of transparency and fairness in the recruitment process, the court declared as unconstitutional a specific rule that previously permitted candidates to view their answer sheets only after the final results of all examination stages had been published.

As a result of this judgment, unsuccessful candidates will now be able to verify their scores and the accuracy of their evaluation promptly.

**High Court's Major Verdict**

The Uttarakhand High Court has declared unconstitutional a key provision within the recruitment process of the State Public Service Commission. The court asserted that candidates should possess the right to verify their answer sheets even before the final results are officially declared. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta and Justice Subhash Upadhyay delivered this verdict while hearing the matter. This order was issued in response to petitions filed regarding the recruitment examination for the post of Additional Private Secretary (APS).

**The Case About the Recruitment Process**

The case specifically concerned the shorthand examination conducted for the recruitment of Additional Private Secretaries. According to the Commission's regulations, the answer sheets for the first-stage shorthand examination were to be released only after the final results of the second stage were declared. However, the court observed that this arrangement compromised transparency and deprived candidates of the opportunity to verify the accuracy of their evaluation.

**Candidates Challenged the Rule in Court**

Rajveer Singh, Ranveer Singh Tomar, Ruchi Rana, and other candidates filed a petition in the High Court challenging the results of the shorthand examination. They submitted that they were denied permission to inspect their shorthand notebooks and typed answer sheets, thereby rendering it impossible for them to verify the accuracy of the evaluation. The candidates contended that despite having performed well in the examination, they were not selected in the final results.

**Advertisement Issued for 99 Posts**

An advertisement was issued on July 18, 2024, for the recruitment of 99 Additional Private Secretary posts across the Dehradun Secretariat and the Uttarakhand Public Service Commission, located in Haridwar. The first stage of the selection process involved skill tests covering areas such as Hindi and English typing, computer proficiency, and shorthand. Only those candidates who successfully cleared these examinations were eligible to appear for the written examination in the second stage.

**Transparency Declared a Constitutional Imperative**
In its order, the Court observed that transparency and fairness in the recruitment process are constitutionally mandated requirements. If candidates are not afforded a timely opportunity to inspect their answer sheets, it would become difficult to rectify potential errors at a later stage. Consequently, the Court directed that unsuccessful candidates be permitted to inspect their shorthand notebooks and answer sheets, as well as to obtain copies thereof.

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