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In light of the present Covid 19 circumstances, particularly emergence and serious spread of Omicron variant, a plea has been filed in Delhi High Court which seeks postponement of the Civil Services Mains exam scheduled to begin from January 7, 2022.

The present petition has been filed by candidates who have cleared UPSC Civil Services Prelims 2021 and are now eligible to prepare in the Mains exam. They aver that it is completely arbitrary and violative of the fundamental and legal rights of the aspirants (petitioners).

Advocate Anushree Kapadia mentioned the matter on Wednesday before bench led by Chief Justice DN Patel. Consequently, the matter was listed up for hearing tomorrow i.e. 6^th January. 

The petitioners have argued that at such a time when the country is on the verge of a third wave of COVID-19, it is not ideal to give an offline exam. The risk of getting infected is very high and many are concerned as it is being considered as a valuable attempt.  

“Recently, Covid 19 has spread severely in several states, cities including various educational centers. The position cannot be disputed by the Respondent also as the Governments are themselves issuing strict advisories including weekend 10 curfew, night curfews, shut downs etc. in view of the situation /infection likely to get out of control at any point of time. However, despite the same the Schedule of examination is being maintained by the Respondents in complete disregard of the legal and fundamental rights of the Petitioners and which non action is ex facie arbitrary,” states the plea.

The plea also avers that, the Petitioners constitute very bright candidates who have also worked very hard and have cleared their Preliminary Examinations of the CSE 2021 and were preparing continuously for their Mains Examination.

“Being working /employed and simultaneously preparing for the UPSC CSE, they have invested their considerable time and money to prepare for the examinations.”

Arguing further, the petition mentions that most of the centres for UPSC Mains 2021 exam are located in Metro cities that tend to be densely populated. This increases their risk of getting infected and for many candidates, it is also the last attempt. So, they don’t want to lose out on it due to Omicron and are asking for its postponement.  

“Metro-cities and Statecapitals there is almost a 400% to more than 2000 % rise in Covid 19 cases in last 2 to 4 days. Further the positivity rate across the States /UTs is ranging between alarming 8% to 26%.”

The plea also states that, medical experts and hospitals all over are seriously advising the people against attending gatherings, staying in closed spaces, maintaining social distancing and are also confirming the possibility of a second wave like situation if the Covid 19 protocols are not followed strictly.

[Case Title - Rajat Jain and Ors. v. UPSC & Anr.]