COVID-19 Fallout: Centre Not In Favour Of Granting Last Chance To UPSC Aspirants Who Missed Their Last Attempt In 2020

New Delhi: The Centre is not in favour of granting one extra opportunity to civil services aspirants who could not appear for their last attempt in 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A Supreme Court (SC) bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar took note of the submissions of Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing on behalf of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

“We are not ready to give one more chance. Give me the time to file an affidavit…last night I received instruction that we are not agreeable,” Raju told the bench, The New Indian Express (TNIE) reported quoting PTI.

The bench has now posted the plea of a civil services aspirant Rachna Singh for hearing on January 25 and asked the Centre to file an affidavit during the period and serve it to the parties.

Earlier, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had told the bench that the government was considering the issue of granting one more opportunity to those civil services aspirants who could not appear in their last attempt to crack the UPSC exam, the report added.

It may be recalled that the apex court had refused to postpone the UPSC civil services preliminary exam, which was held on October 4, because of COVID-19 pandemic and floods in several parts of the country.

However, it had directed the central government and the Union Public Service Commission to consider granting an extra chance to candidates who had their last attempt in 2020, with corresponding extension of the upper age-limit, the report added.

The bench was then told that a formal decision can be taken by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) only.