Jaskaran Singh v. Union of India

O R D E R %

20.08.2026

¶1The Petitioner appeared in the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2026 conducted by the Union Public Service Commission ["UPSC"]. Aggrieved by his exclusion from the list of candidates declared qualified for the Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2026, he assails the evaluation in respect of seven questions in General Studies Paper-I and five questions in CSAT Paper-II. He seeks, inter alia, production of the complete evaluation record, correction of the disputed answers, consequential recomputation of his marks and, upon being found qualified on such recomputation, permission to participate in the subsequent stages of the The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. Civil Services Examination, 2026.

¶2At the outset, the Court has considered the maintainability of the petition in view of Section 14(1)(a) of the Administrative Tribunals Act, 1985 ["Act"]. The grievance raised by the Petitioner arises from an examination forming part of recruitment to the Civil Services and, therefore, requires consideration as to whether the Central Administrative Tribunal ["CAT"] would be the appropriate forum of first instance.

¶3This question was considered by this Court in Praveen Sharma v. Union Public Service Commission.1 The Court held that an examination conducted by UPSC forms part of the recruitment process and that the expression "recruitment, and matters concerning recruitment" in Section 14(1)(a) of the Act is wide enough to encompass disputes concerning participation and eligibility in such examinations.

¶4The present case lies squarely within that field. The Petitioner questions the correctness of the answers adopted by UPSC for evaluation of the Preliminary Examination and seeks consequential recomputation of his marks and entry into the next stage of the Civil Services Examination. These are not matters collateral to recruitment; they concern the evaluation process by which candidates progress through the recruitment itself. In terms of L. Chandra Kumar v. Union of India,2 while the jurisdiction of the High Court under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution remains intact, the CAT must ordinarily act as the forum of first instance in matters assigned to it.

¶5The present petition is accordingly not entertained at the first instance.

1 2007 SCC OnLine Del 2086. 2 AIR 1997 SC 1125. The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above. The Petitioner is at liberty to approach the CAT and seek such reliefs as may be available to him in law. This Court has expressed no opinion on the correctness of the disputed answers or on any other aspect of the merits.

¶6At this stage, Dr. Anindita Pujari, Senior Counsel for the Petitioner, points out that the Civil Services (Main) Examination, 2026 is commencing tomorrow and that any delay may render the remedy ineffective. Having regard to the time-sensitive nature of the grievance, if the Petitioner institutes appropriate proceedings before the CAT, the Registry of the CAT is requested to place the matter before the appropriate Bench as expeditiously as permissible under its rules. Any request for interim relief shall be considered by the CAT on its own merits.

¶7The present petition is disposed of in the above terms. Pending applications shall also stand disposed of.

SANJEEV NARULA, J AUGUST 20, 2026/ab The authenticity of the order can be re-verified from Delhi High Court Order Portal by scanning the QR code shown above.

* IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI # CNR No. DLHC010390302026 + W.P.(C) 12143/2026 & CM APPL. 56321/2026 JASKARAN SINGH .....Petitioner Through: Dr. Anindita Pujari, Senior Advocate with Mr. Shaileshwar Yadav, Advocate. versus UNION OF INDIA .....Respondent Through: Mr. Bhupender Dalal, SPC with Mr. Shubham Goyal, GP for UOI. Mr. Ravinder Agarwal, Mr. Vasu Agarwal, Mr. Manish Kumar Singh, Advocates for UPSC. CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE SANJEEV NARULA