Plea to delay CSS 2025 exams: IHC reserves verdict

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) heard the petition related to delaying the written Civil Service Examinations until the results of last year’s written exams are announced, and reserved the verdict. The Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) is yet to release the results of CSS 2024 competitive examination.

The CSS 2025 exams are scheduled to be held later in February. Some civil society members have reached out to the IHC to delay this year’s exams until CSS 2024 results are announced.

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IHC Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, presiding over the hearing, said that it is good for Pakistanis that they fight the system. “More than 25 crores fight and only a few survive,” Justice Kayani said, adding, “I am not hopeless. These very young people have to hold the reins of the country.”

“Judiciary, Parliament and Executive have all been destroyed,” Justice Kayani said.

TODAY’S HEARING

FPSC Chairman Akhtar Nawaz Satti appeared in the IHC hearing today, as per the orders of the court from the previous hearing. He informed the court that he has been the chairman of the examination authority since October 9, 2024.

The court asked him that candidates have reservations about taking a new exam without knowing results of the previous exams. “The matter was sent to FPSC but you rejected it,” Justice Kayani spoke to FPSC Chairman Satti. He responded that CSS 2025 schedule had been announced before he joined the commission. “If the exam of the year 2025 is postponed, the schedule of many years, and candidates of future examinations will be affected,” Satti added.

“This time a special CSS exam was taken, so the results were delayed by a few months,” Satti told the IHC, adding that the court is requested to reject the plea so that examination can be held.

Justice Kayani asked the FPSC chairman whether there had been any previous instances where exams were conducted before announcing the results of earlier exams. Satti said that it had never happened before. The court then sought information on the cost of holding CSS exams, to which the FPSC chairman said that he does not have any specific data.

The Additional Attorney General then informed the IHC that this year’s written competitive exams are scheduled to begin from February 15. “The law allows FPSC to conduct the next exam if the previous result is not out,” the Additional Attorney General said.

The court retorted, “If the result is not out, keep taking the exam? Take it in 2026, and in 2027?”

Justice Kayani expressing anger, said, “If the results were announced even 15 days ago, these students would not be standing here. Students also have to see if they are weak in any subject so they can change it. It seems that the students were also deprived of the right to choose their subjects.”

Justice Kayani said that he had summoned the FPSC chairman expecting him to tell the court that the results will be announced tomorrow. “The authority has the power, so the matter was sent to the commission. The rights of the students are being affected by this. No one is looking into that,” Justice Kayani said.

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FPSC Chairman Satti said, “If I could, I would have done it, but it is not possible. The commission sat down and decided in the larger interest that the [2025] exam should be conducted on time.”

He said that the results of CSS 2024 written examination will be announced in the last week of April. “We will try, if it can be done even earlier,” Chairman FPSC said.

After hearing the arguments of the FPSC Chairman and the Additional Attorney General, the IHC reserved the verdict.