‘Huge injustice’: MPPSC removes age relaxation for male EWS candidates after HC order

Following a high court order, the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPPSC) has removed the age relaxation in the maximum age limit for male candidates belonging to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) category in all the recruitments.

In an official notification, MPPSC clarified that the maximum age limit for male EWS candidates will not exceed 40 years, that is, male candidates of this category whose age is more than 40 years will be considered ineligible for the respective posts. The decision comes after the MP HC dismissed the petitions, resulting in quashing of the MPPSC age relaxation rule.

The commission had given a five-year age relaxation to such candidates in all the advertisements after an interim order in a plea filed by the EWS aspirants. Accordingly, the maximum age limit criteria for the candidates was 45 years as on January 1, 2025.

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In the rules for age relaxation of various advertisements issued by the commission, the following was mentioned:

"In compliance with the interim order dated 08.02.2022 passed by the Hon'ble High Court in the petition No. 2108/2022 filed by the candidates of economically weaker section, relaxation in maximum age limit will be given to the candidates of economically weaker section like Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes, but in no case the maximum age limit will exceed 45 years on the date of calculation 01.01.2025. That is, candidates whose age is more than 45 years will not be eligible to apply. The candidature of the candidates taking advantage of relaxation as above will be subject to the final judicial decision in the petition.”

MPPSC age relaxation notice draws criticism

Several EWS groups and aspirants opposed the government’s decision to withdraw the age relaxation for the EWS candidates.

Hitting at the state government, the MP EWS Union said in a post on X, “The Madhya Pradesh government has withdrawn the age limit relaxation given to the EWS category in MPPSC. Is the Madhya Pradesh government completely against the upper castes now?”

“The age limit relaxation for candidates from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) has been snatched away! Is the burden of poverty limited only to reservation? Don’t EWS candidates have the right to hard work too? The dreams of thousands of candidates have been shattered, Defiance of the 2022 Supreme Court order!,” remarked a social thinker.