Imphal: The Supreme Court has ordered the Manipur government to provide increased financial assistance to UPSC civil service exam candidates residing in the state’s troubled hill districts. This will allow them to travel to exam centres outside the state.
The Court acknowledged the challenging law and order situation in Manipur and directed the state to provide bus services to exam centers for candidates from the Senapati district traveling to Dimapur, LiveLaw reported.
The order stems from a petition filed against a Delhi High Court decision limiting travel and reimbursement aid to candidates traveling to the Imphal exam center. Petitioners argued that the High Court’s Rs. 1,000 daily allowance was insufficient.
A Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra increased the financial aid for hill district candidates to Rs. 3,000 per day. This covers travel, food, and lodging expenses for their out-of-state UPSC exam journeys.
The increased aid applies to all candidates from troubled hill areas, regardless of their chosen exam center, not just those opting for Imphal.
Candidates residing in the hill districts can claim the benefit by informing the state government’s nodal officer of their current location and chosen exam center. Contact details for the nodal officers were included in the court order.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed before the Delhi High Court sought directions for the UPSC to accommodate tribal candidates from Manipur’s hill districts for the 2024 Civil Services (Preliminary) and Indian Forest Service (Preliminary) exams.
The petitioners requested exam centers in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi districts and reopening the application portal for center selection.
The High Court, informed by the UPSC of the state’s inability to open exam centers in Churachandpur and Kangpokpi due to security concerns, allowed candidates to choose centers outside Manipur, including Aizawl, Kohima, Shillong, Dispur, Jorhat, Kolkata, and Delhi.
The court also directed the state to provide Rs. 1,000 daily reimbursement for food and lodging for candidates traveling to Imphal and allowed them to choose other state centers between April 8th and 19th, 2024.
The Supreme Court challenged the limited scope of the High Court order and the inadequacy of the financial aid. It directed transportation for Senapati district candidates to Dimapur and increased the allowance for a candidate from Churchandpur district.
Advocate Nizam Pasha represented the petitioner federation, while Advocate General of Manipur, Naorem Kumarjit Singh, represented the respondents.