On February 17, it was argued that since EWS is a reserved category, candidates in this category should also be granted the benefit of 5 years age relaxation. It was also argued that a similar provision had been made earlier in the MP Teacher Selection Exam-2024 based on Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution, granting EWS candidates 5 years of age relaxation.

The division bench of Chief Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Vivek Jain of the High Court issued an interim order directing the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to grant EWS candidates age relaxation of five years for the Civil Services Exam 2025.

The court also instructed UPSC to accept applications from the petitioners and other similar candidates. The court further ordered that no results for these candidates should be declared without permission. The case will be re-heard on February 18.

The petition was filed by Aditya Narayan Pandey, a resident of Satna, represented by senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Manish Singh, who argued that other reserved categories like SC, ST, and OBC are granted age relaxation, and since EWS is also a reserved category, it should be granted similar benefits. It was also noted that a recent ruling in the teacher recruitment case had granted age relaxation for EWS candidates.

The UPSC is scheduled to conduct the preliminary exam for 979 posts on May 25, 2025, and the main exam on August 22, 2025, with the application form being accepted from January 22 to February 18.