DoPT to decide on IAS aspirants affected by COVID

The Union government informed the Supreme Court on Monday that the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has to take a call on whether civil services aspirants, who were unable to attend their Mains exam after being diagnosed with COVID, can be given another chance. A Bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar asked Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati to file a response by Friday (March 25), when the case has been listed for hearing again. Ms. Bhati said this was the third year of COVID and no exception has been given in other examinations held so far. “There is no urgency as such (to take up the case) as the exam results have been announced... The only issue that remains is regarding the ‘extra’ attempt sought for,” the Centre’s law officer submitted. Senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, for the three civil aspirants who moved the apex court, said the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) had promised to file an affidavit in response to their petition, but had not done so. Ms. Bhati said the UPSC would be filing the affidavit in the course of the day. The petitioners have sought a direction to the UPSC to extend them an additional attempt to appear in the exam or make some arrangement to appear in the remaining papers. The petitioners had cleared the UPSC-2021 prelims examination. They were to appear in the Mains between January 7 and January 16, 2022, but fell sick. Mr. Sankaranarayanan had informed the Bench that out of the three petitioners, two had appeared in some papers before they were tested positive for COVID-19. He said the petitioners could have suppressed and lied, but they had not. The petitioners, in their plea filed through advocate Shashank Singh, have said that they, according to medical reports, tested positive for COVID-19 on January 6, 13 and 14.