Mon Feb 17 18:20:00 UTC 2025: ## Madhya Pradesh High Court Grants EWS Candidates Concessions in UPSC Civil Services Exam
**Jabalpur, MP:** The Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted a significant interim relief to Economically Weaker Section (EWS) candidates applying for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE). The court directed the UPSC to allow EWS candidates to apply for CSE 2025 with a five-year age relaxation and nine attempts, similar to other reserved categories. This ruling, delivered on February 14th by Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Suresh Jain, came in response to a petition filed by Aditya Narayan Pandey from Maihar, questioning the disparity in age relaxation and attempt limits for EWS candidates compared to other reserved categories.
The petition argued that EWS candidates should receive equal treatment to SC/ST/OBC and physically challenged candidates, who are granted a five-year age relaxation and nine attempts. While the central government and UPSC lawyers sought time to oppose the petition, the court, considering the approaching application deadline (May 25th for the preliminary exam), granted the interim relief. The UPSC has been instructed to accept applications from EWS candidates without considering the existing age or eligibility criteria for seven days, starting February 14th. However, appointments based on these applications will be subject to the court’s final order, with a next hearing scheduled for Tuesday. The UPSC has advertised 979 vacancies for CSE 2025.
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