Recently, the Madhya Pradesh High Court issued an interim order directing the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to allow candidates from the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) to apply for the Civil Service Examination with a five-year relaxation in the maximum age limit and to permit them the same nine attempts as candidates from other reserved categories. The court clarified that the results of these candidates would be subject to the final judgment of the court.
In the present matter, Aditya Narayan Pandey, a petitioner from Maihar town in Madhya Pradesh, challenged the current eligibility criteria for EWS candidates, asserting that they should receive the same benefits of age relaxation and number of attempts as other reserved category candidates. He contended that EWS candidates should not be treated as general category applicants in terms of eligibility for the Civil Services Examination. The petition highlighted that candidates from other reserved categories, including SC, ST, OBC, and physically disabled, are granted a five-year age relaxation and up to nine attempts in the exam.
Counsel for the Union Government and UPSC requested time to file objections to the petition. However, the High Court, acknowledging the approaching deadline for submitting applications, decided that it was appropriate to allow the petitioner and other similarly situated candidates to apply for the examination. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Suresh Jain, directed UPSC to accept the applications of EWS candidates for the Civil Services Exam 2025, allowing them to apply up to seven days from February 14. The Court clarified that the applications would be accepted subject to compliance with other conditions, but the appointment orders of these candidates would not be issued without the Court’s permission.
The Court also noted that the results of the candidates would remain provisional, subject to the final decision of the Court, with the next hearing scheduled for the following Tuesday.
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