The Supreme Court on 30th September dismissed a plea of 20 civil service candidates for postponement of the UPSC examinations that are scheduled to be held on 4th October.
However, the apex court asked the Commission to consider a possible concession for aspirants who might not be able to sit for their last attempt.
The petitioners had sought for postponement of the examination amid the pandemic and devastating floods that have battered many states of the country.
However, the Commission on 29th September filed an affidavit stating that it had already spent approximately Rs. 50.39 crore on the preparation for the exam and 6,87,648 candidates have already downloaded their admit cards as of 28th September.
The SC agreed to the UPSC's statement that further delay of the exams would have a "cascading effect" on the future ones.
The exam was earlier scheduled to be held on 31st May but was postponed to 4th October amid the pandemic situation.
The Commission had requested Chief Secretaries of all states to make special provisions to avoid any inconveniences to the candidates by ensuring proper availability of public transportation on 3rd and 4th October. Further, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Railway Board were asked to ensure smooth travel of 10.58 lakh candidates. Also, authorities were asked to arrange suitable accommodation for students near the examination centres/sub-centres.