The Central government today agreed to provide an extra attempt to the UPSC civil services examination candidates who had failed to appear in the October exams. The extra provision is being given due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. The announcement has come a week before the next notification for UPSC CSE was about to be released.
A bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar had taken note of the submissions of Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing on behalf of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
The court was hearing a plea by several candidates who had appeared for their last attempt in the civil services (preliminary) examination, 2020 held on October 4. They prayed for a direction to the Centre to provide them “one extra attempt…in addition to number of permissible attempts, in view of innumerable, inevitable circumstances suffered by them due to Covid-19 pandemic, which prevailed in the entire country during the crucial period of their preparation and even on the date of examination, including but not restricted to rendering services as corona warriors, Covid infection to family members, suffering trauma physical and mental, lack of minimal proper infrastructure to prepare for the examinations, loss of income making it difficult to even survive during the pandemic”.
Last year, the apex court refused to postponed the preliminary exam which was conducted on October 4.
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