SC Issues Notice to UPSC Over Plea to Postpone Civil Service Exam

The plea states that holding exams in October would deprive candidates from equal opportunity in public employment. 

(Photo: iStock/The Quint)

The Union Public Service Commission on Thursday, 24 September, was issued a notice by the Supreme Court over a plea seeking postponement of Civil Services Examination, which is scheduled on 4 October, 2020, reports Live Law.

Hearing the matter, a bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Sanjiv Khanna adjourned the matter till 28 September, by which time the commission is expected to come up with a reply on the matter.

In the petition, around 20 UPSC aspirants have pointed out that conduct of the seven-hour-long exam in offline mode for around six lakh aspirants could lead to further spread of coronavirus in the country.

Maintaining that India has been recording sky-high cases in the recent weeks, the petitioners say that conducting exams across 72 cities “is utterly arbitrary and patently violative of the Right to Health and Life of the aspirants, under Article 21 of the Constitution.”

The petitioners also say that the risk of contracting COVID-19 could prevent many from writing the exam, while adding that its conduct could discriminate against several middle and lower-middle class aspirants, who may not be able to arrange for transport to and from their exam centres.

Arguing that the conduct of exam would violate Article 16 of the constitution, depriving several aspirants from equal opportunity in public employment, the petitioners say that the exams should be postponed by two to three months, by when they expect the COVID-19 curve to flatten.

They also argue that since the civil services exam is held for recruitment to public services, postponing it would not cause any academic loss.