The Central Information Commission (CIC) has recommended restoring the publication of detailed, paper-wise marks of candidates selected through the UPSC Civil Services (Main) Examination. The recommendation follows a finding that the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had no recorded policy decision explaining why detailed marks stopped being published from 2018.
Paper-wise marks of recommended candidates were reportedly available publicly until the 2017 Civil Services Examination, while only aggregate marks have been published since 2018. The matter arose from an RTI application seeking comparative marks for General Studies papers, optional subjects and the Personality Test between 2013 and 2023.
The CIC noted differing positions from the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and DoPT regarding custody of the detailed marks. UPSC stated that it shares the detailed marks with DoPT and the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration after the final result, while DoPT said the detailed marks are generated and maintained only by UPSC.
The commission said disclosure of paper-wise marks would support transparency in the selection process and help aspirants understand performance trends across optional subjects. It directed DoPT to provide the requested detailed marks of recommended candidates from 2018 to 2023.
Through an advisory under Section 25(5) of the RTI Act, the CIC also asked DoPT to consider reinstating the earlier practice of publishing detailed marks, noting that its discontinuation was not supported by a recorded policy decision.
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