The Aam Aadmi Party has given a Zero Hour notice in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday to give an extra chance to Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) aspirants. The notice has been given by AAP MP Sanjay Singh. The development is significant as the Aam Aadmi Party has been in talks with a number of UPSC aspirants over the issue of late. These aspirants have been talking about how the coronavirus pandemic, which brought life almost to a standstill last year, affected them and why they should be given an extra chance at the prestigious civil services exam.

However, it must be noted that this is something for which a petition was already filed in the Supreme Court.

Several UPSC applicants had moved the top court after their last attempt was exhausted in October 2020. But the top court rejected the plea in February saying there is not going to be an extra chance for the UPSC aspirants.

The broader view among educationists is that everyone was affected because of the COVID-19 pandemic and therefore it is a mere excuse by UPSC aspirants for demanding an extra chance.

Earlier, the Central government had agreed to give an extra chance to aspirants on the basis of the age bar. News agency PTI reported that it told the bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar that one extra attempt would be provided to the UPSC Civil Service exam aspirants only for Civil Service Examination (CSE) 2021. “It may be granted to only those candidates who appeared for CSE-2020 as their last permissible attempt and are otherwise not age-barred from appearing in CSE-2021”.

The government categorically stated that the condition shall be treated only as an exemption and not a rule.