The Supreme Court has barred UPSC from allowing candidates to appear in the exams who submitted the degree certificate after the cut-off date. A bench comprising Justices AM Khanwilkar and Sanjiv Khanna was dealing with a special leave petition filed by the UPSC against the interpretation given by the Bombay High Court to Note II of Rule 7 of Civil Service Examination Rules 2020.
The bench overruled a view taken by the Bombay High Court(Aurangabad Bench) that the Civil Services Examination Rules 2020 give power to the Union Public Service Commission to treat a candidate who submitted the degree certificate after the cut-off date as qualified to appear for the civil service examination in exceptional circumstances.
Referring to a recent case in which the Supreme Court allowed five UPSC civil service candidates, who had cleared the UPSC main examination but were disqualified for not submitting the degree certificates by the cut-off date, to appear for the interviews, the apex court said, the relief was granted taking into account the difficulties caused by the COVID pandemic. However, SC clarified that it was a one-time relaxation having no precedent value and it doesn’t give UPSC any right to allow late comers for the examination.
