New Delhi: The Supreme Court will today hear a plea for an additional chance in the UPSC Civil Services Examination for those candidates who missed their last attempt in 2020 due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
Justice A.M. Khanvilkar had taken note of the submissions of Additional Solicitor General Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, who appeared on January 22 on behalf of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), had asked the government to file an affidavit to this effect.
“We are not ready to give one more chance. Give me the time to file an affidavit… yesterday night, I received instruction that we are not agreeable,” the law officer had told the bench.
The Supreme Court is hearing the plea of Rachna Singh, a civil service aspirant who was trying to put in extra effort in the UPSC examination for those candidates who made their last attempt in the preliminary examination held in October 2020 and it is COVID -19 were missed due to the epidemic.
The bench, comprising Justices BR Gavai and Krishna Murai, asked the Law Officer to supply a copy of the affidavit to civil services lawyer Akanksha Rachana, who moved the court with a plea to provide additional opportunity to stop the trial.
Earlier, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had told the bench that the government was considering the issue of providing another opportunity to civil service candidates who could not appear in their last attempt to crack the UPSC exam.
On 30 September last year, the top court refused to postpone the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination due to the COVID-19 epidemic and flooding in many parts of the country, which was held on 4 October.
However, it had directed the Central Government and the Union Public Service Commission to consider giving the candidates an additional chance in their last attempt in 2020, with an extension to the upper age limit.
The bench was then told that only a formal decision could be taken by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).