The Supreme Court has announced its verdict on the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Prelims 2021 extra attempt. The court has dismissed the petition seeking a second shot at the civil service examination due to the Covid-19 pandemic and age bar, the apex court has said that no extra chance will be given to the UPSC candidates who exhausted their last attempt in October 2020.
A three-judge Bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar, Indu Malhotra, and Ajay Rastogi said only one word – “dismissed” – and did not read the judgment further. Detailed reasons for the dismissal will be known when the full copy of the judgment is made available. The notification of the UPSC IAS exam will be out soon and it will be available to all aspirants on the official site of UPSC at upsc.gov.in.
The petitioners, who had given their last attempt in Civil Service Examination 2020, had sought an extra chance citing difficulties created by the coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide lockdown. The petitioners argued that Covid-19 affected their preparation and sought an extra chance. They also wanted age-barred candidates to be given another chance.
Earlier this month, the Central Government had agreed to another chance at the examination for those whose last attempt was in 2020 but not the one-time relaxation on the age limit that the petition asked for. The UPSC conducts exams for appointment to Central Government services. Among other functions, it appoints officers on promotion, deputation, and absorption and also frames and amends recruitment rules for different services and posts under the Indian Government.
