SC To Consider Tomorrow Plea Seeking Extra Chance For UPSC Aspirants Who Gave Last Attempt In Civil Service Exams This Year

The Supreme Court will consider tomorrow a petition filed by civil service aspirants seeking an extra attempt in the UPSC exams for those candidates who had their last attempt in the preliminary exam held in October 2020.

The case titled "Rachna Singh v Union of India" is listed before a bench comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar, BR Gavai and Krishna Murari tomorrow.

On September 30, the Supreme Court had directed the Central Government and the Union Public Service Commission to consider granting an extra chance to candidates who otherwise have their last attempt in 2020, with corresponding extension of the upper age-limit.

That direction was given by a bench led by Justice Khanwilkar in the case Vasireddy Govardhana Sai Prakash v UPSC  while rejecting the petitioners' plea to postpone the UPSC exams scheduled in October 2020 in view of the COVID19 pandemic.

The Court directed the authorities to take a decision in that regard "expeditiously".

The relevant observations in the Court order are as follows :

"The fourth point raised before us is that some of the candidates may be giving last attempt and also likely to become age-barred for the next examination, and if such candidates are unable to appear in the examination due to Covid-19 pandemic situation, it would cause great prejudice to them .In this regard, we have impressed upon Mr. S.V.Raju, learned Additional Solicitor General appearing for the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Ministry ofHealth and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to explore the possibility of providing one more attempt to such candidates with corresponding extension of age limit. He has agreed to convey the sentiments of the Court to all concerned and to take a formal decision thereon expeditiously"

On October 26, the Department of Personnel and Training informed the Supreme Court that the issue regarding grant of extra attempt to last chance candidates was under the consideration of the authorities.

Based on that submission, a bench led by Justice AM Khanwilkar disposed of another petition(Abhishek Anand Sinha v Union of India) observing that it was not appropriate for the Court to pass orders when the matter was under the consideration of the concerned authorities.

"The issue raised in this Writ Petition is under consideration of the appropriate authority and in light of the observations made by this Court in order dated 30.09.2020 in Writ Petition(C) No. 1012 of 2020, needful is being done in the matter. As a result, it may not be appropriate to precipitate the matter further. We leave it to the competent authorities to assuage the grievance of the petitioners,as brought before this Court in the present Writ Petition appropriately", the bench observed in the order.

The present petition, filed as a sequel to the above proceedings,  is a plea by the candidates to obtain the compensatory attempt to all the last chance candidates who appeared in the UPSC prelims this year on the 4th of Oct.