The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has taken a strong stance against fraudulent practices in the Civil Services Examination. Puja Khedkar, a provisionally recommended candidate for the Civil Services Examination-2022 (CSE-2022), has had her candidature canceled and has been permanently debarred from all future UPSC exams and selections. The Commission discovered that Khedkar had altered not only her own name but also the names of her parents on her application. This manipulation was successful in circumventing the initial system checks, highlighting a vulnerability in the verification process.
The UPSC has acknowledged the lapse in security and stated that they are actively working to strengthen their Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to prevent such incidents from recurring. The Commission is committed to ensuring the integrity and fairness of the Civil Services Examination.
Regarding the verification of OBC and PwBD certificates, the UPSC has clarified that they conduct a preliminary scrutiny of the certificates. This scrutiny includes checking the issuing authority, the year of issuance, the date of issuance, and the overall format. The UPSC emphasizes that they do not have the resources or the mandate to verify the authenticity of every certificate submitted by the thousands of candidates who apply annually. Generally, the certificates are considered genuine if they have been issued by the designated authority.
This incident serves as a reminder of the importance of maintaining the highest standards of integrity in competitive examinations. The UPSC’s decision to debar Khedkar and strengthen its verification procedures sends a clear message that such fraudulent practices will not be tolerated.
