Representing the Centre, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, apprised the top court that the decision relating to the extra attempt has to be taken by DoPT.

Meanwhile, UPSC counsel said that they will file a counter affidavit later today.

Thereafter a bench headed by justices AM Khanwilkar listed the matter for further hearing on March 25.

The Court was hearing a petition filed by UPSC aspirants seeking to extend the benefit of additional.extra attempt. Senior Advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, appeared for the petitioners.

The petition was filed by three UPSC aspirants through advocate Shashank Singh. The petitioners have urged to issue appropriate direction to UPSC to extend the benefit of additional.extra attempts and to make some arrangement for the petitioner to appear in the rest of the papers which the petitioners could not give before the publication of the result of Civil service Mains Examination 2021.

The petitioners said that they are UPSC aspirants who have cleared the UPSC-2021 Prelims Examination and were entitled to appear in the UPSC Mains Examination which was scheduled from January 7 to 16, 2022.

The petitioners could not give UPSC Mains Examination as they were Covid positive and there were restrictions imposed under the strict quarantine guidelines of the Government. Also, there was the absence of any kind of policy of UPSC which could provide arrangements for such petitioners who were Covid positive during the span of mains examination or before it.