Additional UPSC Examination: The Supreme Court today (24-02-2021) will decide on the applications filed by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) seeking additional opportunities in the preliminary examination of civil services. The Supreme Court’s ruling makes it clear whether candidates will be given the extra opportunity to appear for the UPSC pre-test this year.
Candidates seeking additional opportunity in the civil services examination (primary) were in the role of frontline workers during the Corona (COVID-19) epidemic. These candidates had passed the UPSC exam during epidemic stress and had missed their last chance. Candidates citing the same epidemic had approached the Supreme Court seeking additional opportunity to attend the UPSC exam.
Supreme Court judges AM Khavatilkar, Indu Malhotra and Ajay Rastogi will hear the verdict today. The decision was reserved after hearing the arguments of the petitioner, the central government and the UPSC on February 9.
The number of applicants over 100, due to age or maximum number of attempts, has been prevented from attending this year’s examination. Although the central government initially opposed the petitioners and demanded that the hearing be terminated, the center decided to grant a one-time waiver to candidates who exceeded their maximum number of attempts.
Candidates of the general class will get six chances in the civil services examination until they are 32 years old. On the other hand, candidates in the OBC class get 9 chances up to the age of 35 and unlimited opportunities for SC-ST candidates up to 37 years of age.
The court had asked the central government to treat such candidates as outdated. At the time of the corona epidemic, the applicants had claimed that they could not properly prepare for exams in a busy routine.
At the last hearing, the central government had told the Supreme Court that 34000 students had completed their last attempt at the preliminary examination of 2020. In such a situation, if these candidates are compensated, they will be eligible to attend the 2021 preliminary examination and restrict the path of the candidates who will be sitting for this year’s examination. When this happens, other candidates are also demanding and then it becomes a never-ending cycle. As this is a matter of policy, it is up to the government to decide how many attempts are made based on the course or age of the candidates.
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