UPSC 2023: The UPSC aspirants have once again come together to raise their demands to increase the number of attempts for the UPSC civil services exams as they say the COVID pandemic has affected their preparations and study. It must be noted that thousands of candidates every year appear for UPSC exams in the country, and many give multiple attempts to get through the Civil Services. However, the aspirants claim the pandemic has affected their preparations. For this reason, the candidates especially those who have either reached the upper age limit or finished all the attempts last year are now demanding to increase the upper limit and to increase the number of attempts. Many aspirants either missed writing the exam or failed to qualify due to the death of a kin or contracting the virus themselves.

Candidates have stated these reasons for another attempt

Covid Compensatory

Age& Attempt Relaxation

#UPSCExtraAttempt2023 Now we are moving and compromising our demand, all of us have exhausted and on the verge of at least getting one attempt,one doubt if we could clear if only one chance was offered, kindly stick on to original demands.
— Md Sh (@MdSh07316347) January 9, 2023

Hon’ble Supreme Court directed for lenient view regarding legitimate demand of the aspirant & many of us worked as a Covid warrior.Even various state government give age relaxation to their upcoming recruitments.#UPSCExtraAttempt2023 pic.twitter.com/QsFFuJiBWR
— Tanmay Patra (@TanmayPatra9696) January 10, 2023

The UPSC had recently told the top court there was no provision for holding a re-examination in case a candidate failed to appear in the test on the scheduled date for any reasons, including ailment or accident incapacitating them to take the exam. The petitioners called this rule and court’s ruling “unfair” as they did not fail to appear in the exam but were forced to do so due to covid-19 mandate to go into quarantine.

Many students were unable to give UPSC exam for the last 2 years are demanding age relaxation for the UPSC exam as they lost two important years because of COVID wave in India. 

The pleas of thousands of UPSC aspirants remain unanswered and have therefore resorted to gathering on the streets in hopes that the authorities would listen to their demands.

Earlier in March, the apex court had recommended the government to change its mind and sympathetically consider the demand of civil services examination (CSE) aspirants and grant an extra attempt with corresponding age relaxation to all candidates.