HANUMANT LAL PATEL & ORS. vs UNION OF INDIA & ORS.

Judgment text excerpt

$~ * IN THE HIGH COURT OF DELHI AT NEW DELHI % Judgment reserved on: 20.01.2026 Judgment pronounced on: 03.02.2026 + W.P.(C) 4354/2025 HANUMANT LAL PATEL & ORS. .....Appellants Through: Mr. Ritesh Kumar, Adv. versus UNION OF INDIA & ORS. .....Respondents Through: Mr Balendu Shekhar CGSC with Mr Krishna Chaitanya, Mr Rajkumar Maurya and Mr Divyansh Singh Dev, Advs. for R-1. Mr. Ravinder Agarwal, Mr. Manish Kumar Singh & Mr. Vasu Agarwal Adv. for R-3. CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE ANIL KSHETARPAL HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE AMIT MAHAJAN JUDGMENT AMIT MAHAJAN, J. 1. The present writ petition has been filed under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution of India, assailing the order dated 28.11.2024 passed by the learned Central Administrative Tribunal, Principal Bench, New Delhi, (hereinafter ‘CAT’) whereby the O.A. No. 3109 of 2024, preferred by the Petitioners/Civil Services Aspirants challenging certain questions of the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2023, particularly Paper-II (CSAT), came to be dismissed. Signature Not Verified Signed By:HARMINDER KAUR W.P.(C) 4354/2025 Signing Date:04.02.2026 Page 1 of 14 17:20:45 2. The Petitioners, being unsuccessful candidates in the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination 2023, seek interference with the impugned order on the premise that about 11 questions in Paper-II (CSAT) were allegedly beyond the prescribed syllabus, thereby vitiating the examination and selection process. 3. Succinctly stated, the quintessential facets leading up to the present dispute are that, the Respondent No. 3/Union Public Service Commission (hereinafter ‘UPSC’) conducts the Civil Services Examination annually for recruitment to various Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’ services under the Union of India, through a three-stage process consisting of the Prelimin