The Gujarat High Court has allowed a candidate’s challenge to a question in the Gujarat Public Service Commission (GPSC) examination after finding that the source material used to frame the question was not properly authenticated.
Justice Nirzar S. Desai, in a judgment pronounced on August 7, 2026, directed the authorities to treat the candidate’s answer to Question No.147 as correct and restore the marks deducted from her score.
Background of the Case
The case arose from GPSC Advertisement No.28/2024-2025 for recruitment to the post of Sales Tax Inspector, Class III. The preliminary examination consisted of 200 objective questions, with one mark for a correct answer and a deduction for an incorrect, multiple or blank response.
The petitioner initially secured 94.36 marks in the EWS category, while the cut-off for the Main examination was 95.59 marks. She challenged several answers, with Question No.147 eventually becoming the central issue.
The disputed question concerned Kautilya’s Arthashastra. It stated that the book was written in Sanskrit and was a book of economics. The petitioner had selected the option treating both statements as correct.
Court Examination of GPSC’s Source
During the proceedings, GPSC disclosed that the paper setter had relied on a digital PDF of the book. The Commission admitted that it did not possess the physical copy and was unaware from where the PDF had originally been downloaded. It also acknowledged that it had no written policy for authenticating such material.
The Court subsequently examined the material relied upon by both sides. It noted that NCERT and GCERT textbooks supported the petitioner’s position that Arthashastra dealt with economics. The Court also found the authenticity of the material relied upon by GPSC questionable.
Court’s Observation
Justice Desai clarified that courts should ordinarily be slow to interfere with answers prepared by examination experts. However, such interference is possible in exceptional circumstances.
The Court held that where a general-awareness question is debatable and the material relied upon by the examining authority has questionable authenticity, the benefit should go to the candidate rather than the examination body.
The Court further observed that when material downloaded from the internet is used for framing a question, its authenticity must not be doubtful.
In the absence of a written authentication policy, the original physical material should be available with the examining authority or paper setter.
Case Details:
Case Title: Arati Damjibhai Rangpariya v. State of Gujarat & Anr.
Case Number: R/Special Civil Application No.3425 of 2025
Judge: Justice Nirzar S. Desai
Decision Date: August 7, 2026
