UPSC EXAMS: NOT IN FAVOUR OF RELAXING AGE LIMIT, CENTRE TELLS TOP COURT

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that it is against granting one-time relaxation on age limit to UPSC civil service aspirants, including those who had exhausted their last attempt in 2020 exam amid the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and would get one more chance this year provided they are not age barred, as it would be discriminatory to other candidates.

The Centre told this to a bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar which reserved its verdict on a plea which had sought one more chance in the UPSC’s civil services exam to those aspirants who could not appear in their last attempt in 2020 due to the pandemic.

Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, appearing for the Centre, said that initially the government was not willing to concede the extra chance and it was later done at the suggestion of the bench.

“This is not the exam where you prepare at the last minute. People prepare for years together,” Raju told the bench, adding, “My first offer remains”.

The Centre had on February 5 told the apex court that it was agreeable to give an extra chance as a one-time relaxation to those civil service aspirants, who had appeared in their last attempt in the 2020 exam and are otherwise not age-barred.

The Centre, however, had said that no relaxation shall be granted for 2021 exam to those candidates who have not exhausted their permissible number of attempts or to those who are otherwise age-barred from appearing in 2021 exam as per the prescribed age limits of different categories.

THE CENTRE TOLD THIS TO A SC BENCH WHICH RESERVED ITS VERDICT ON A PLEA WHICH HAD SOUGHT ONE MORE CHANCE IN THE UPSC CIVIL SERVICES EXAMS