Civil Services Exam 2020 to be held on Oct 4, deferment impossible: UPSC to Supreme Court

New Delhi: Amid concerns over the surge in COVID-19 cases across the country, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) told the Supreme Court on Monday that the exams scheduled to be held on October 4 shall not be deferred. The apex court was hearing a request seeking the postponement of the civil services exam.

The court today asked the UPSC - the central recruiting agency for appointments to and exams for various civil services of the government - to file its affidavit by tomorrow and will hear the case again on October 23.

The exam, which was earlier scheduled on May 31, was rescheduled to October 4 due to the pandemic. Around 6 lakh aspirants are expected to appear in the UPSC Prelims this year, which will be held in 72 cities in the country.

Meanwhile, due to concerns over the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and flood problem, as many as 20 civil services aspirants had approached the Supreme Court, seeking for the crucial exam to be deferred by two to three months.

The aspirants have argued that the civil services exam, being a recruitment examination, is completely different from an academic examination. In the event of its postponement, there would not be any question of loss of any academic session, the said.

The petitioners have further claimed that holding the exams during a crisis period "is nothing else but putting lives of lakhs of young students (including petitioners herein) at utmost risk and danger of disease and death."

One of the petitioners told the apex court that his son is an officer with the government could not take a leave and prepare for the exams due to the ongoing pandemic situation.

Several other important exams, including the NEET medical entrance exam and the JEE for admission to the IITs, which too were postponed due to COVID-19, have also been held in spite of massive protests by the students.

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