GOVT AMENDS CIVIL SERVICES EXAM RULES
- The Ministry of Personnel announced the Civil Services Examination Rules, 2025, revealing that this year’s examination will fill 979 vacancies, the lowest number in the past three years.
- The Civil Services Examination recruits candidates for 23 services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and Indian Police Service (IPS). In 2023, around 10.1 lakh candidates applied, with 5.9 lakh actually appearing for the examination.
- These changes were prompted by the case of Puja Khedkar, a probationary IAS officer who was selected despite allegedly forging identity documents, misrepresenting facts to secure extra attempts, and submitting a fake disability certificate to claim reservations in the 2022 exam. Khedkar was able to appear for the exams 12 times, surpassing the nine-attempt limit.
- The alleged forgery came to light last June while Khedkar was undergoing field training in Pune. She was subsequently dismissed from service, faces criminal charges, and is currently on bail.
- In response, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) launched an inquiry into six officials, including a probationer, to reassess their disability claims. The officials, five IAS officers and one IRS officer, secured their positions using reservation benefits under the disability category.
- The January 22 notification mandates that candidates must apply online and submit necessary documents related to claims such as date of birth, category, educational qualification, and service preference. Failure to provide the required information and documents will result in the cancellation of the candidate's application