UPTET-2026: HC drops 2 questions, relief extended to all candidates

The petitioners had appeared for the Uttar Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test (UPTET) examination on July 3, 2026, in the second shift. The Commission’s final answer key had accepted two options as correct for each of the disputed questions, numbers 36 and 37 of the master set.

In a relief to UPTET-2026 candidates, the Allahabad high court, in its October 28 judgment, directed the Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission (UPESSC) to exclude two disputed questions, numbers 36 and 37, from the evaluation of the July 3 examination and treat the paper as comprising 148 questions instead of 150. The relief will extend to all similarly placed candidates and not just the four petitioners who approached the court.

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The petitioners had appeared for the Uttar Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test (UPTET) examination on July 3, 2026, in the second shift. The Commission’s final answer key had accepted two options as correct for each of the disputed questions, numbers 36 and 37 of the master set.

Disposing of a writ petition filed by Vijay Sonkar and three other candidates, Justice Vinod Diwakar directed the Commission to recompute their scores and issue corrected results and scorecards.

The petitioners’ counsel submitted that all four candidates had been declared unsuccessful with scores just below the qualifying mark of 82. They approached the court seeking marks for the two disputed questions.

The court, however, directed that the benefit be extended uniformly to all similarly situated candidates, irrespective of whether they had selected either of the two options accepted in the final answer key.

Applying the principle laid down in Smt. Shimla Singh vs State of UP and another (2019), which arose from UPTET-2018, the court directed that the paper be treated as comprising 148 questions. The qualifying standard will accordingly be calculated on the basis of the prescribed percentages.

The court held that the Commission’s method of awarding marks only to candidates who selected one of the two accepted answers could not be sustained, as it depended on the choice made in a question that did not have a single correct answer.

It noted that the Supreme Court had set aside the same approach in its August 5, 2026, order in the Sunil Kumar Singh appeal. Excluding the defective questions, the court said, would ensure equal treatment of all candidates, without rewarding or penalising their choice of answers.

The court relied on Supreme Court rulings in Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Service Selection Commission vs Ashok Yadav and others (2026), Ran Vijay Singh and others v. State of UP and others (2018) and Rishal and others v. Rajasthan Public Service Commission and others (2018).