No extra chance to UPSC candidates who gave last attempt amid COVID-19: SC

The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea seeking an extra chance to appear in the UPSC civil services exam by aspirants who have exhausted their last attempt last year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. A bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar said that it is dismissing the plea filed by a civil services aspirant for an extra chance to the candidates who had exhausted their last attempt in examination held in October, 2020 citing difficulties faced in preparations due to the pandemic.

On February 9, the Union government had told the top court that it is against granting one-time relaxation on age limit to UPSC civil service aspirants, including those who had exhausted their last attempt in the 2020 exam amid the COVID-19 pandemic, as it will be discriminatory to other candidates.

It had said that the candidates who gave their last attempt examination in October 2020 would get one more chance this year provided they are not age barred. The Union  government was initially not willing to concede to giving an extra chance but it was later done at the suggestion of the bench.

Earlier on February 5, the Union government told the Supreme Court that it is agreeable to give an extra chance as a one-time relaxation to UPSC civil service aspirants, who had appeared in their last permissible attempt in the 2020 exam amid the pandemic, as long as they are not age-barred. The bench had observed at the time that one-time relaxation would benefit over 3,300 students without even increasing the age-limit.

In an affidavit filed earlier in the court, the Centre had refuted the contention by the petitioners that their preparation was hampered due to stress caused by the pandemic. It said that the UPSC had already given extra time to the candidates by postponing the civil service (preliminary) examination from May 31, 2020 to October 4, 2020.