Shimla, May 4 (UNI) The Himachal Pradesh High Court has dismissed a plea by a civil services aspirant seeking an additional attempt to appear in the UPSC examination, citing COVID-19 disruption in 2020.

A single-judge bench of Justice Ajay Mohan Goel recently held that the petitioner, having already exhausted all permissible chances, could not be granted special relief without any valid or exceptional ground.

Petitioner Raja Ram Sahu had filed a writ petition contending that he could not prepare effectively for his last attempt in 2020 due to the pandemic.

He urged the court to direct the Union of India and UPSC to allow him another chance in the 2025 examination. He also claimed that not framing a policy for COVID-affected aspirants violated his constitutional rights under Articles 14, 19, 21 and 29.

However, the court rejected his arguments, terming the plea "completely misconceived."

Justice Goel observed that the petitioner had not missed the exam due to COVID-19 or any other unforeseen event but had in fact appeared in the 2020 examination like thousands of other candidates.

While distinguishing between inability to appear due to genuine hardship and mere unsuccessful participation, Justice Goel further noted that many candidates who faced the same pandemic-related challenges succeeded in the 2020 exam.

The petition was dismissed along with all pending applications, sending a clear message that extraordinary reliefs in competitive examinations must be backed by equally extraordinary circumstances.

UNI ML SS