Scrapping of CSAT in prelims; HC refuses to entertain PIL

NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court today refused to entertain a PIL seeking relief including the scrapping of Civil Services Aptitude Test ( CSAT), saying that the issue fell within the domain of central government.

A bench of justices B D Ahmed and Siddharth Mridul, however, asked the DoPT to consider the petition, which was dismissed as withdrawn, as a representation and take decision, if necessary.

"Such a representation is to be made before the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), if required, it will consult the UPSC. It will try to consider it," the bench said adding that moreover, the apex court has already dealt with the issue and the reliefs prayed cannot be granted for this year as the prelims exams are already over.

During the brief hearing, the bench asked Vikramjeet Singh Ranga, an advocate who filed the PIL, whether he has made any representation to the government that the CSAT question papers should be in all regional languages mentioned in the schedule VIII of the Constitution.

"You should have done that. It is a subject matter of the government. It is their domain. It is a policy decision," it said.

The plea also referred to an earlier high court verdict which had asked the Centre to conduct a study on introduction of compulsory English paper in the prelims exam.