Reserve list is not a waiting list: UPSC clarifies on CSE

In its official statement, the commission said, “It is clear that the reserve list is not a waiting list. In fact, the reserve list is necessitated in a multi-service examination to allow candidates of reserved categories to choose a service of higher preference who qualify at or above general qualifying standard without availing any concession/relaxation at any stage of the examination.”

The commission issued the clarification after “some misleading information was being circulated on social media with regard to the operation of reserve list in civil services examinations, especially that of CSE, 2019”.

For civil services examination, the commission recommends candidates belonging to different categories for their appointments in different services. While declaring the Main result (the result at first instance), the number of recommended candidates under the general (unreserved) category is reduced by the total number of candidates belonging to the SC, ST, the OBC and the EWS who acquire the merit at or above the general qualifying standard without availing any of the concession/relaxation either ineligibility or in selection criteria, the commission said.

Along with the list of recommended candidates of the Main result, the commission also maintains a consolidated reserve list of candidates of general and reserved categories ranking below the last recommended candidate in the merit order under each of the categories for subsequent 2 recommendations. This is done after concluding the exercise of service allocation of the recommended candidates of the Main result.

“The recommendation of the candidates in this manner as envisaged in the rules of examination is an established practice of giving fair treatment to the candidates of reserved categories since decades enabling them to choose a service of higher preference based on their reserved status,” the commission said in its statement.

After exercise of this option by the reserved category candidates, the resultant vacancies which arise due to the category movements are filled up from the reserve list, on a requisition received from the government for each category including the general (unreserved) category.