Compilation Vol 3 Corrected (1-943).pmd - Goa Public Service ...

From the above table it is manifest that by and large the objections of petitioners to the questions
fall in one or more of the following categories:
a. Printing errors either in the questions or in answer options.
b. Questions carry no correct answer option or have more than one correct answer option.
c. Questions are subjective in nature and open to various interpretations.
These objections relate to 40 questions, out of which the Commission has already deleted two
questions and, thus, the dispute relates to 38 questions. I would deal with the objections category-wise.
PRINTING ERRORS/SPELLING MISTAKES:
The Commission does not dispute the fact that there were printing errors/spelling mistakes in the
undeleted questions or in answer options.
According to Mr. Raina, learned senior counsel for the Commission, the objection of petitioners is
untenable because of the remedial steps taken by the Commission. He submits that firstly the printing
errors were so minor that the candidates having knowledge of the subject could have very well interpreted
as to what was being asked from them in the question. The mistakes being negligible would not have
misled the candidates having knowledge of the subject. Secondly, he submits that during the course of
examination when the candidates brought such printing errors to the notice of supervisory staff, the
staff in turn through phone conveyed those errors to the Control Room, specially set up by the
Commission, where the Chairman and the Controller of Examination opened the original manuscripts
of the papers and tallied those with the printed booklets. Thereafter, they conveyed the clarifications
to the concerned Supervisors for making necessary announcements, which, accordingly were made in
the examination centres, where the candidates were taking the examination in those subject papers
having printing errors.
Jammu & Kashmir PSC
To the contrary, the contention of Mr. Sethi, supported by other learned counsel for the writ
petitions, is that the questions with printing errors could be intelligible or not is without any relevance.
According to him, the paper was not oral but was a written paper, so a candidates was to understand
the questions as they were in the papers and reply the same keeping in view the given answer options.
A question with printing error/spelling mistakes cannot be said to be a correct question. He submits
that no announcements for correcting the errors were ever made in the examination halls. Assuming
359