They are to be public servants, not students: Supreme Court refuses to postpone UPSC Prelims

The Supreme Court today refused to pass directions for postponement of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) preliminary exams scheduled to be held on October 4. The Court, however, has asked UPSC to consider granting certain relaxations for candidates appearing in their last attempt..The Court dismissed the petition which sought the postponement of the exam citing various issues arising due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, unimpressed by the arguments and on the basis of the submissions made by the UPSC as regards arrangements made and safety measures taken, the Court said that the postponement cannot be allowed.."...every year there are some issues. Like environmental issues etc, and this is not a case of students appearing, these are to be public servants and they should act like that. Come out of your shell and comfort zone."Supreme Court.The Bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar, BR Gavai and Krishna Murari said that UPSC may consider granting an extra attempt to those candidates for whom the October exam is the last attempt, if they are unable to write this exam on account of COVID-19. However, the same is to be done without extending the upper age limit, the Court clarified..The Court has also directed UPSC to issue directions to various states to enable candidates to be lodged at hotels near their exam centres by furnishing their admit cards. This direction comes from the Court keeping in view that the SOPs and guidelines put in place differ from state to state..Candidates infected with the novel Coronavirus may not be allowed inside the exam centres, the Court observed, without passing any specific order in this regard..In addition to the same, the Court has said that the UPSC must follow the guidelines issued by the Union Home Ministry, and if the need arises or there appears to be a lacuna in conforming with the guidelines, the MHA may issue supplementary guidelines..As regards merging of the prelims of this year with next year, the Court refused to permit the same, noting that it may have a cascading effect. Instead, the UPSC is asked to make sure that all the requisite facilities are made available for the candidates and the protocols are followed to facilitate this exam..Importantly, the Court had also held that there cannot be more than 100 candidates permitted in one exam centre..Civil Services Prelims 2021 exam will be hampered if CSE 2020 is deferred any further: UPSC tells Supreme Court.The Court was hearing a petition filed through Advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava urging the Court to quash the revised calendar issued by the UPSC, and seeking postponement of the exam by two or three months till the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided.Apart from the main plea, the father of a serving officer in the Central Armed Police Forces of the Government of India has moved an application.The applicant points out that his son, the government officer himself, was set to prepare for the civil services, but the extra workload on account of COVID-19 has hindered his preparations..UPSC had informed the Supreme Court that the October 4 date for conducting the Civil services preliminary exam 2020 cannot be deferred on account of COVID19 as it would lead to delaying next year's prelims too scheduled for June 27, 2021..The Commission had also stated that it would not be in a position to declare the results of 2020 exam without delaying the already scheduled 2021 prelims.UPSC has further averred that it has received requests and e-mails from students to not postpone the examination any further. All such requests have been annexed along with the affidavit filed.."Impossible to defer UPSC prelims further as it would hamper objectives of the exam", UPSC tells Supreme Court