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UPSC aspirant caught using unfair means during govt job exam, barred for 3 years
The woman, while appearing for one of the recruitment examinations, was found in possession of incriminating material that qualified as the use of unfair means.
A civil services aspirant has been barred for three years over the alleged use of unfair means during a government job recruitment exam. Besides, her candidature for the current year's examination also stands cancelled, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) announced on Friday.
The commission said the woman was found in possession of incriminating material that qualified as the use of unfair means during an exam.
"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 post on Linkedin.
The commissions announced the cancellation of the aspirant's candidature for this year, and said she was debarred from appearing in all future examinations conducted by the UPSC for a period of 3 years.
The UPSC said that the decision was in line with standardisation of penalties, and also shared a document outlining how violation of rules is dealt with.
"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," UPSC Chairman Ajay Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
The official termed UPSC “an epitome of merit and fair system” and said that the commission ensures that candidates get selected purely on merit basis.
The action against the UPSC aspirant comes over an year after the commission cancelled former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar's provisional candidature.
Puja allegedly misrepresented her identity and used forged documents to clear the 2022 civil services examination. She submitted fake Other Backward Class (OBC) and disability certificates, and claimed that her family income was ₹6 lakh per annum, to qualify for the OBC non-creamy layer category.
A detailed probe later revealed that her father had declared assets of ₹40 crore when he contested general elections as an Independent, and her family owned several immovable properties and vehicles.
(With PTI inputs)
