COVID affected UPSC Aspirants’ plea for Extra Attempt rejected: Supreme Court says ‘Too late to challenge Exam Policy'

The Supreme Court declined to entertain a petition seeking a fresh relaxation in age and attempt limits for candidates appearing in the Civil Services Examination 2026 whose final attempts allegedly fell during the COVID-19 pandemic. A Bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta dismissed the plea, observing that the petitioner had approached the Court after a considerable delay of nearly five years.

The petition was filed by civil services aspirant Jaimin Patel, who claimed that he lost his final opportunity to take the examination during the pandemic period because he was denied leave from work. He sought directions for the constitution of an inter-ministerial committee involving authorities such as the Union Public Service Commission and relevant ministries to examine the issue and consider granting a one-time additional attempt in the 2026 examination cycle, along with corresponding age relaxation. The plea also sought to pause the eligibility conditions in the upcoming examination notification until such a review was conducted.

The Bench, however, was not inclined to reopen the issue, stressing the long lapse of time since the pandemic years. The Court noted that challenges concerning eligibility rules for a nationwide competitive examination cannot be entertained after such a prolonged delay.

Emphasising the principle of timely litigation, the Bench effectively indicated that the petitioner had approached the Court far too late to seek judicial intervention. As a result, the Court dismissed the petition without issuing directions to reconsider the policy.

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