13 Bihar Judicial Service aspirants move Supreme Court seeking postponement of entrance exam due to COVID-19

A group of 13 aspirants of the Bihar Judicial Services has moved Supreme Court seeking to postpone the 31st Bihar Judicial Services Competitive exam scheduled to be held on October 7 this year..The petition drawn and filed by Advocate Arvind Gupta has challenged the two notifications by the Bihar Public Service Commission dated September 9 and September 22 that state that the exam would be held on October 7 on the ground that the BPSC had issued those notifications "without the application of a sound administrative mind.".No mind seems to have been applied to the officially documented upward trend in the growth rate of new COVID-19 infections. It ignores the fact that the examination centers are likely to be fixed at far flung places within the State of Bihar. Reaching such places under the present circumstances expose the candidates to an unjustified and unreasonable risk and hardship and possibility of contracting corona virus infection due to doubtful observance of sanitation and social distancing norms.Reads the plea.The plea avers that the notifications are in violation of the fundamental Right of Equality of Opportunity in public employment guaranteed under Articles 14, 16 and 19 of the Constitution of India.Citing examples of how other exams too have been postponed, the petition states that the top court in Malik Mazhar Sultan & Anr. versus U.P. Public Service Commission & Ors. has, through its order dated September 22, directed/permitted for the postponement of the Civil Judge (Junior Division) and District Judge Examinations 2020 due to the outbreak of Corona virus..The plea even cites how the High Court of Madhya Pradesh has postponed the District Judge Exam 2020 on account of the same.It is further stated that holding of other competitive examinations like NEET or IIT Entrance are not comparable to this situation and do not furnish a precedent.."The nature of such entrance examinations is academic and the candidates have the option of taking those within their home-town or State. Even if these examinations have a pan-India character, the examinees rarely have to travel outside their home-town or State to take those," reads the plea..On the other hand, despite the eligibility of residents of all parts of India, the State Judicial Service Examinations are held within the same State that offers judicial appointments. This demands additional effort on the aspirants from other States, submit the petitioners.