Paving way for the UPSC Preliminary Examination on October 4, the Supreme Court has dismissed a bunch of petitions seeking postponement of the exam in view of Covid19 situation as well as wide-spread floods in several parts of India. Postponing the civil services exam will have a cascading effect on the 2021 UPSC exam, the apex court has held.
At the same time, the Supreme Court also expressed concern about those aspirants who have a last chance to sit in the exam this year. It has asked the Central Government to provide concessions to this particular group.
The plea to postpone this year’s UPSC exam was made by 20 civil services aspirants.
While delivering the judgment on Wednesday, the Supreme Court’s three judge bench comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar, B R Gavai and Krishna Murari also took note of the potential problems which the candidates might face in these trying times, as also the Government’s preparedness level.
In a significant observation, the bench said it could not ask the UPSC to allow corona-positive candidates to appear in exam, because that would put other candidates in danger. But surely, separate seating arrangements could be made for those who showed signs of cough and cold, it observed.
The three judge bench of the Supreme Court took its time understanding the gravity of the situation, and coming out with its considered response. These, for instances, are few of the to-and-fro submissions between the bench and the counsel:
Advocate Anushree Kapadia, making her submissions on behalf of a father of an aspirant (seeking delay of the exam) said that that many candidates from rural areas would face transport problems to come to the examination centres. To this, the bench retorted: “This is not new. This happens every day. Come out of your shell. You need to move out of your comfort.’’
To an advocate’s argument that all libraries and coaching institutes were closed, thereby depriving aspirants of reading material, the Supreme Court observed that this was an individual issue- and not a public issue.
The bench also struck down the argument that in view of the pandemic, travelling to examination centres was a problem for many candidates. This would have been an issue in April, but not now when everything was unlocked, the court held.
At one point, Supreme Court held that “UPSC has submitted what arrangements have been made.’’ And then it told the arguing lawyers for the petitioners that they could ask for “more security’’ for the candidates, but not for the postponement of the exam.
