Manipur: SC Orders to Increase Aid for UPSC Candidates from Conflict Zones

IMPHAL: The Supreme Court has instructed the Manipur state government to provide financial support to UPSC candidates living in troubled hill districts of the state.

The decision aims to help students travel to exam centres outside the state. The court acted on a Special Leave Petition challenging the Delhi High Court’s ruling, which only allowed travel reimbursement for candidates going to the exam centre in Imphal. The High Court’s fixed allowance of Rs 1000 per day was deemed in adequate.

The bench, led by Chief Justice DY Chandrachund and including Justices JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, has directed that financial aid for candidates be raised from Rs 1000 to Rs 3000 per candidate per day.

This increase is not increase is not restricted to students choosing the Imphal center but applies to any candidate from the troubled hill region.

In its order, the court stated that individuals currently living in the Hill districts and participating in the Civil Services exam would receive Rs 3000 per candidate per day (for 3 days) to facilitate their travel to a center outside the state for the exam. Candidates wishing to avail themselves of this benefit should inform the state government's nodal officer of their current location and the exam center they need to travel to.

The order also included the contact information, such as email IDs, of the nodal officers that candidates can reach out to.

A public litigation was submitted to the Delhi High Court, requesting instructions to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to make sufficient arrangements for tribal candidates from the hill districts in Manipur to participate in the Civil Services (Preliminary) Examination, 2024, and the Indian Forest Service (Preliminary) Examination, 2024.

The High Court observed that the Manipur government cannot establish examination centers in the Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts of Manipur due to the severe law and order issues in those areas.

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