Candidates who missed UPSC CSE 2021 after contracting Covid-19 Seek Extra Attempt (Representative Image)
UPSC aspirants who missed civil service after contracting Covid-19 are demanding an additional attempt at civil service. The bank will hear it on March 7.
- News18.com New Delhi
- Last updated:March 01, 2022, 09:48 AM IST
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A group of three aspiring civil servants has moved the Supreme Court (SC) seeking an extra attempt for the civil service exam. The aspirants claim that they had to miss the National Service exam because they had contracted Covid-19. Claiming there is no UPSC mechanism to enable Covid-19-positive aspirants to take the exam, candidates want the court to intervene and give them an extra try to get the paperwork they missed .
Senior lawyer Gopal Sankaranarayanan, who filled the petition on behalf of students, alleges that these candidates were able to lie and attend their exam. The petitioners said they had tested positive for COVID-19 in the RTPCR test reports dated January 13, 14 and 6. The plea said petitioners were unable to provide the UPSC power supply test after testing positive for COVID-19 and due to restrictions imposed under strict government quarantine guidelines.
While two of the three applicants had to leave the main exam, which was held January 7-16, in between after appearing in a number of initial papers, the third aspirant was unable to appear in any of the papers due to COVID.
A bench of judges AM Khanwilkar and CT Ravikumar is hearing the case. The bank said it will hear on March 7.
The petition highlights that there was no UPSC policy that could make arrangements for such petitioners who were COVID positive during the grid survey period or before.
It alleged that the lack of policies and no arrangement to accommodate COVID-19 positive applicants to appear in the 2021 civil service examination have violated their rights, including those of Article 14 (Equality before the law) of the Constitution of India.
The petitioners have requested the UPSC to make an additional attempt to appear on the exam or make an arrangement to appear in the rest of the papers, which they were unable to give, before the publication of the result.
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