No extra chance for candidates in Civil Services examinations: Centre tells SC

It also maintained that providing an extra chance could have a cascading effect as it would amount to differential treatment to other candidates

The Union government on Monday once again told the Supreme Court that no extra chance can be given to the candidates who have exhausted all their attempts at the Civil Service examinations in October, 2020.

It also maintained that providing an extra chance could further have a cascading effect as it would amount to differential treatment to other candidates.

In an affidavit, the Department of Personnel and Training said that giving an additional attempt or relaxation in age to some candidates would amount to extending differential treatment to similarly placed candidates at the examination.

It also pointed out the UPSC had already once postponed the Prelims exam from May, 2020 to October 4, 2020, owing to Covid-19.

Besides, the government said that the candidates were given an option to change the centre of examinations, conducted during the Unlock phase.

Opposing the petition filed by Rachana and others for an extra chance, the government said that the instant plea was filed in the court only after the UPSC declared results of prelims examinations.

On Monday, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju informed a bench presided over by Justice A M Khanwilkar about filing of the affidavit. The court gave the petitioners time till January 27 to file their rejoinder and put the matter for hearing on January 28.

On January 22, the government said no extra chance would be given to the candidates who had used all their chances to appear in the Civil Services examinations.

At present, candidates from general category get six attempts till age of 32, nine attempts for the OBC till 35 and SC/ST candidates get unlimited attempts till 37 in the Civil Services examinations conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

A total of 4,86,952 candidates appeared in the Preliminary Examination-2020 on October 4, 2020.

"The contention by the petitioners that their preparation was hampered due to the stress caused by the prevailing Covid-19 pandemic, does not hold weight as the UPSC had already given extra time to the candidates by postponing the examination from May, 31 to October 4, 2020," the affidavit said.