UPSC to verify identity of candidates appearing for exams through Aadhaar authentication, here’s why

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) will now be verifying the identity of candidates registering and appearing for exams through Aadhaar authentication, to curb incidents of forgery and malpractice.

“The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is allowed to perform Aadhaar authentication, on voluntary basis, for verification of identity of candidates at the time of registration on ‘One Time Registration' portal and various stages of examination/recruitment test, using Yes/No or/and e-KYC authentication facility,” said Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) in a notification.

DoPT added that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) shall adhere to all provisions of the Act, the rules and regulations made thereunder, and directions issued by the 'Unique Identification Authority of India'.

The development comes amid the probe over the allegations of cheating and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota against the former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar.

Khedkar is also accused of exceeding the limit to appear for the exam using differnt names.

Till 2020-21, the former probationer IAS officer took the exam using the name – Puja Diliprao Khedkar. However, in 2021-22, after all the attempts, she reportedly made two more attempts using the name ‘Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar’.

Meanwhile, she has rejected the charges against her, and said that the Union Public Service Commission has no power to act against her.

On July 31, the UPSC Cancelled her provisional candidature and debarred her from all future examinations or selections.

"The UPSC has examined the available records carefully and found her guilty of acting in contravention of the provisions of the CSE-2022 Rules," the UPSC said.

The commission said it was the "lone case" of Khedkar in the last 15 years where it could not detect that a candidate has exceeded the number of attempts permitted to a candidate for writing the CSE exam "primarily due to the fact that she changed not only her name but also her parents' name".