NEW DELHI, Jan 25:   In a significant change to the application process for the Civil Services Examination, the Centre has made it mandatory for candidates to submit documents supporting their age and reservation-related claims at the time of application.

This change, detailed in the recently notified Civil Services Examination Rules-2025, requires candidates to provide necessary supporting documents along with their online application form, whereas earlier, these documents were submitted only after candidates qualified the preliminary test.

The decision comes in the wake of a controversy involving former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, who was accused of cheating and falsely availing Other Backward Class (OBC) and disability quota benefits to secure her selection for government service. Khedkar has denied all allegations.

The Civil Services Examination, conducted annually by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), is a multi-stage process, consisting of the preliminary, mains, and interview rounds, to select officers for various prestigious services including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS), and Indian Police Service (IPS).

According to the new rules, candidates applying for the examination are required to provide detailed information, including their date of birth, category (such as SC/ST/OBC/EWS/PwBD/ex-servicemen), educational qualifications, and service preferences, as required by the Commission. Failure to submit the required documents along with the application will result in the cancellation of the candidate’s candidature.

The Civil Services Preliminary Examination for 2025 is scheduled for May 25, with approximately 979 vacancies expected to be filled, including 38 reserved for persons with benchmark disabilities. These vacancies include positions for candidates with various disabilities, such as blindness and low vision, deaf and hard of hearing, locomotor disabilities (including cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, and muscular dystrophy), and multiple disabilities including deaf-blindness.

The UPSC has also emphasized the inclusion of candidates from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes, Economically Weaker Sections, and persons with disabilities, in accordance with the government’s reservation policies. Women candidates are particularly encouraged to apply as the government aims for a gender-balanced workforce.

Candidates are required to apply online at the UPSC website, http://upsconline.gov.in, and the deadline for submission of applications is February 11, 2025, by 6 pm.