UPSC bars candidate for three years after being held with 'incriminating material', using unfair means in examination

A woman candidate was barred for three years by the Union Public Service Commission ( UPSC) for using unfair means during a government job recruitment examination on Friday.

In a post on LinkedIn, UPSC said that the candidate has been cancelled from attempting current year's examination as well for "possessing incriminating material".

"As the candidate has violated the rules of the Examination and is found to be guilty under the rule of the Examination - 12(1)(h) 'being in possession of or using unfair means during the examination," the UPSC said in a statement

It further said that disciplinary action has been taken on the candidate.

"Accordingly, UPSC has taken stringent disciplinary action in line with standardization of penalties by cancelling the candidature for the current year’s examination and debarred the individual from appearing in all future examination(s)/Selection(s) to be conducted by the Commission for a period of 3 years."

UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar told PTI that the Commission is firmly committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity, transparency, and fairness in its examination processes.

"Any candidate found guilty of indulging in unfair means or misconduct during examinations faces strict disciplinary action as per rules, including debarment from future examinations, as the strictest action," he told PTI.

Kumar added that such measures are necessary to preserve the sanctity of the selection process and to ensure that merit remains the sole criterion for recruitment to the government services.

“This is the sole reason why UPSC for the last 100 years, has been an epitome of merit and fair system, and candidates from any background can get selected, purely on merit basis, as per the selection process," he added.

Last year, the UPSC had taken a series of actions against former probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, including filing a criminal case, for availing attempts in the civil services exam by faking her identity.

Khedkar was accused of cheating and wrongly availing Other Backward Class (OBC) and disability quota benefits to ensure her selection in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).