New Delhi, Mar 9 (IANS): The Delhi High Court will hear, on Thursday, the plea challenging the maximum age criteria of 45 years for applying and appearing in the Delhi Higher Judicial Services Examination 2022.

The plea was moved by advocates Aditya Kapoor, Manika Goswamy, Medha Tandon, Kushal Kumar, Harsh Ahuja, and Akash Dep Gupta.

"The petitioners are enrolled as advocates with the practice of almost two decades on the Bar and are aspirants for Delhi Higher Judicial Services 2022. However, the petitioners have been rendered ineligible due to the date of reckoning being January 1, 2022. The petitioners possess all other necessary qualifications as prescribed for appearing in Delhi Higher Judicial Services Exam," the plea said.

It further said the denial of an opportunity based on age is bad in the eyes of law.

"The provisions of the Constitution nowhere stipulate the maximum age as 45 years for the purpose of appointment on the post of the district judge," it said.

In addition to that, it said that the cut-off date being January 1, 2022, deprives the candidates/aspirants who would have otherwise been eligible if the exams had been conducted in routine in years 2020 and 2021.

"This is a great setback to the rights of the petitioners and other similarly placed candidates/aspirants from the Bar and highly discriminatory and impedes the rights of candidates from the Bar of a fair opportunity of participation. The petitioners are suffering due to no fault of theirs..." the plea read.