A young man from a farming family, the son of a frontline worker and the father of a six-month-old are among several aspirants who will urge the Supreme Court on Monday to intervene on their behalf with the government for a second chance after their final attempt at cracking the rigorous civil services exam was marred by the pandemic and the ensuing lockdown in 2020.
“The measures related to curbing the COVID-19 pandemic and the uncertainty attached to it had immense negative ramifications on the mental health of the candidates. It was in these circumstances, coupled with lack of proper infrastructure, poor preparation, lack of study materials, that the applicants appeared for their final attempt at fulfilling their dreams of becoming a civil servant,” Shambhu Sharan Kumar, one of the aspirants, told the court in his application.
‘Lenient view’
The candidates are age-barred from appearing in the exam in 2021. However, they have asked the court to take a “lenient view” and grant them a second chance as a one-time measure, considering the unprecedented odds created by the pandemic last year.
A Bench of Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and Sanjeev Khanna is scheduled to hear their case on Monday.
In fact, two categories of UPSC aspirants have moved the apex court separately.
The first are candidates who were unable to take their final attempt on October 4, 2020 due to the COVID-19 situation and lockdown. “The exam was scheduled to happen on October 4, 2020. However, on the day of exam they were directly or indirectly affected by COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, on account of the restrictive protocols and guidelines given by the State, which included mandatory quarantine, etc, the petitioners were unable to appear in the exam and take their last attempt,” their writ petitions said.
The second group are aspirants who managed to take the exam on October 4. These applicants, who are last attempters, said that while others have the luxury of another chance at the civil services exam, they are left with none. They were compelled to risk their health during the pandemic and take the exam on October 4 last year.
The aspirants have highlighted how the Supreme Court in an order on September 30 last year had asked the government to consider giving the last attempters a one-time age relaxation for appearing in CSE-2021. They said the government and the UPSC had not taken the suggestion favourably.
This is the second time UPSC aspirants, who were final attempters last year, have moved the apex court. In February this year, after months of roller-coaster hearings, the apex court had finally declined their pleas for another chance to take the civil services exam.
