The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and the Centre regarding a writ petition from persons with disabilities (PwD) candidates for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2025, who are seeking the flexibility to change their scribe’s details post-application submission. The bench, led by Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, heard the case, highlighting concerns about the current rigid application requirements.
According to Live Law, the petition emphasizes the difficulties faced by PwD candidates, who must submit the names of their scribes months before the actual examination date, with no option to amend these details later. This requirement is challenging because the commitment from scribes, who volunteer for the role, cannot be assured over such a long period.
Advocate Rahul Bajaj, representing the petitioners, argued for interim relief, noting the impracticality of securing a long-term commitment from volunteers. He pointed out the significant gap between the application deadline on February 18 and the preliminary exams scheduled for May 25, followed by the main examination three months later. The inability to use alternatives like screen reading software, such as JAWS—which has been permitted in other exams—further complicates the situation for PwD candidates.
Despite the urgency of the petition, the Supreme Court has not granted any interim relief at this point but has requested responses from both the UPSC and the central government within two weeks. The matter is set to be revisited in a hearing on March 4, 2025.
