Ex-servicemen Applying For The UPSC Civil Services Exam

Defence personnel cannot take the UPSC Civil Services Exam while in service. However, a short service commissioned (SSC) officer in the army can take the exam if he has less than two years of service left and satisfies all the other eligibility conditions of the UPSC CSE. Also, ex-servicemen can take the exam provided they fulfil all the eligibility conditions. The government also gives certain concessions to ex-servicemen in the age criterion. Read on to know more about ex-servicemen quota in UPSC.

The term Ex-servicemen in the context of UPSC CSE exam is defined in the Ex-servicemen (Re-employment in Civil Services and Posts) Rules, 1979 which have been amended from time to time.

Candidates can apply for the exam using the UPSC Apply Online Portal details of that are mentioned in the linked article.

Eligibility for Ex-Servicemen in IAS 2021

Note: The eligibility conditions for the UPSC examination remains the same for each year except that the minimum and maximum age would be considered based on the year of the examination which is 2021. The UPSC notification 2021 was released on 4th March 2021, the details are given for the year 2021.

Candidates can download the UPSC Notification 2021 PDF given below:

UPSC Notification 2021:-Download PDF Here

1. In UPSC CSE, there is the provision of age relaxation up to a maximum of five years for ex-servicemen (including Commissioned Offers and SSCO/ECOs) who have been released from service and provided they have served a minimum of five years of Military Service as on August 1, 2021.
2. Those whose assignment is scheduled to be over within one year from August 1, 2021, are also eligible.
3. However, those who have been dismissed/discharged from service on reasons of misconduct or inefficiency are not eligible for the age relaxation in the UPSC IAS exam.
4. For those aspirants who have completed the five-year military service, but their assignment has been extended, they are eligible if the Ministry of Defence issues a certificate stating that they will be released on three months’ notice if they are selected in the UPSC CSE merit list.
5. Defence personnel who got disabled during hostilities with a foreign country or in a disturbed area and were released post it can also claim age relaxation up to a maximum of three years in the UPSC CSE 2021.

Know in detail about UPSC 2022, at the linked article.

Ex-servicemen (Re-employment in Central Civil Services and Posts) Rules, 1979

• The Ex-servicemen rules were amended as per The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) notification in 2012.
• Disabled servicemen have no cap on the number of permissible attempts. They can take the exam as long as they don’t cross the upper age limit.
• Commissioned Officers (ECOs/SSCOs) who have been released on their own accord are not eligible to take the concession.
• Ex-servicemen candidates who also fall under the SC/ST/OBC category are eligible for grant of cumulative age relaxation under both the categories (community and ex-servicemen).

Also, Read | Eligibility Criteria for UPSC Exam

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