Family members of aspirants wait outside examination centre during the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Preliminary Examination, in New Delhi on June 16, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
At least 15 civil services exam aspirants have written separate letters to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna alleging that regulations which set August 1 as the cut-off date for determining the maximum age eligibility amounts to a denial of equal opportunity and is discriminatory.
For example, the maximum age limit for the civil services exam was 32 for general category candidates. Though prelims was usually scheduled in May, the age limit of 32 was calculated as of August 1. General category candidates must not have attained 32 years on August 1.
The letters written last week by Bandi Sivagopal, Deepak Azad and M.D. Kurup contended that the upper age limit cut-off date of August 1 discriminated among candidates born the same year but a few months or days apart.
In the case of general category aspirants, they argue that a person who attained 32 years on July 31 would be ineligible to apply for the exams while her counterpart whose 32nd birthday fell any day after August 1 of the very same year was eligible.
“I request your immediate and decisive intervention to shift the age eligibility cut-off to January 1, as practised in other government recruitment processes, to ensure fairness and equal opportunity for all aspirants regardless of their birth month,” Mr. Sivagopal wrote.
Yash Sharma’s letter to the top judge argued that the cut-off date of August 1 for calculating the maximum age limit was a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution. “The policy restricts aspirants’ ability to pursue their chosen profession, undermining their right to life and dignity,” he said.
A letter by Manisha Dey said the policy violated Article 16 (equality of opportunity in public employment), “denying these aspirants an equal opportunity to serve the nation, thereby violating their fundamental rights”.
“A candidate born on July 31 is deemed ineligible, even though they are of the same age as someone born a day later. Such a technicality creates an unfair system that penalises candidates, disregarding their merit, preparation and qualifications. Many of these aspirants are experienced professionals, whose valuable skills would make a significant contribution to public services,” Krishna Reddy submitted in his letter.
The letters, however, revealed that a petition on the issue was previously dismissed in the Supreme Court in October 2024.
Published – December 22, 2024 09:20 pm IST