Guwahati, Feb 16: The Gauhati High Court has dismissed a writ petition, filed by a group of 11 petitioners, seeking alteration of the dates of the Assam Public Service Commission Competitive (Mains) Examination, 2020 scheduled from February 21, 2022.
The petitioners, who are candidates of the APSC exam, had challenged the timetable of the APSC exam, as the schedule was clashing with the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Indian Forest Service (IFS) examination on February 27, 2022.
They also challenged the pattern of question papers proposed by the APSC for the said examination among other points raised before the Court.
The division Bench of the Court however noted that the APSC has bonafide, practical reasons to not change the dates and as such, the Court could not interfere in the matter.
The Commission had expressed its inability to postpone the date citing logistical, financial and other difficulties.
“Having examined the matter in some detail, we are of the considered view that the practical difficulties stated by the APSC seem to be bonafide. There are only five candidates in Assam including the petitioners whose dates clash with the IFS examination to be held on February 27, 2022. They definitely will have to make a choice whether to appear in the examination conducted by the APSC or the IFS examination conducted by the UPSC,” the Bench stated.
“On balance, however, we find that there are good grounds not to pass any direction to the APSC for change of dates, as the logistical, financial and other difficulties which will be faced by APSC in the event we change the date of examination (February 27, 2022) to any other date, far outweigh the difficulties of these five candidates,” it observed.
“The rest of the prayers, in any case, are not of a nature on which interference is being called. Therefore, the writ petition has no merit and is hereby dismissed,” it stated.
