Amid ongoing headlines about the controversy involving former IAS trainee Puja Khedkar, the Central Government on Wednesday authorized the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to use Aadhaar-based authentication, on a voluntary basis, to verify the identity of candidates from registration through various stages of exams and recruitment.

According to the news agency PTI, the UPSC has been granted permission to use Aadhaar authentication. The notification from Personnel Ministry stated, “UPSC is allowed to perform Aadhaar authentication, on a voluntary basis, for verification of the identity of candidates at the time of registration on the 'One Time Registration' portal and various stages of examination/recruitment test, using Yes/No or/and e-KYC authentication facilities.”

In July 2024, the Union Public Service Commission announced a tender notice stating its “desire to incorporate Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication or digital fingerprint capturing and facial recognition of candidates, scanning of QR Codes of e-Admit Cards, and monitoring through live AI-based CCTV video surveillance.”

What exactly is Aadhaar authentication? According to the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), “The process by which the Aadhaar number, along with the demographic information or biometric information of an Aadhaar number holder, is submitted to the Central Identities Data Repository (CIDR) for its verification, and such repository verifies the correctness, or lack thereof, on the basis of the information available with it.”

Aadhaar authentication involves verifying an individual's identity using their 12-digit Aadhaar number issued by UIDAI, based on biometric and demographic data. UIDAI claims that this process offers a digital platform for instant identity verification anytime and anywhere.

Legal Developments in the Puja Khedkar Case

For Union Public Service Commission exams, applicants will need to provide their Aadhaar card details to help the commission verify their information throughout the recruitment process. The tender notice from July 16, 2024, outlined the requirements for service providers to implement Aadhaar-based authentication during exams. These requirements are as follows: 

1) Use data provided by UPSC for Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication (else digital fingerprint capture) of candidates and facial recognition during the exam.

2) Deploy a sufficient number of QR code scanner-integrated hand-held devices along with sufficient manpower at each and every examination venue to ensure that Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication and facial recognition of candidates' activities are completed in accordance with the given schedule.

3) It is to be ensured that all the data captured at each examination venue is synchronized in the main server, and the same should be intimated to Union Public Service Commission 30 minutes before the end of each shift of the examination.

4) Once the QR code on the admit card is scanned and the candidate’s details from the application database provided by Union Public Service Commission are auto-fetched, the Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication or digital fingerprint capturing of the candidate’s fingerprint data is to be done, which will be followed by the facial recognition of the candidate by the hand-held device. The facial recognition is to be done as per the photographs submitted by candidates based on the prescribed format.

5) The commission mandates that all authentication and verification activities must be completed before the commencement of each shift of the examination within the stipulated time as instructed by UPSC.

6) Such service providers are not allowed to enter the examination hall/room to perform biometric authentication/digital fingerprint capture and facial recognition of candidates and/or scan QR codes on e-admit cards, etc., states the Union Public Service Commission.

The decision is aimed at eliminating any improprieties and, therefore, improving the fairness of the UPSC examination. Such a measure will be particularly significant if one is to consider the recent controversy created over IAS Officer Puja Khedkar writing the Civil Services Examination 2022. The impartiality of the system was completely compromised by Khedkar, and she was duly declared guilty of bending rules with the help of her real identity and using categories like Other Backward Classes (OBC) non-creamy layer. For this reason, she has been categorized as ineligible and barred from writing any of the UPSC examinations again.

Puja Khedkar Case
Image Source: LinkedIn

The UPSC later acted on the issue regarding her by serving her with a show cause notice for fraudulently trying to make attempts beyond what is permitted by the examination rules by “faking her identity.” In July, the Union Public Service Commission took action on her by opening a forgery case for her attempt to gain an unfair advantage in the Civil Services Examination. The Delhi Police have since then lodged the FIR and initiated the investigation in the matter.

Khedkar, who has been charged with misuse of authority and entitlements during her training in Pune, had her provisional candidature for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022 withdrawn by the UPSC on July 29. After this experience, she cannot take the UPSC examination again or any selection for that matter. However, Khedkar has challenged her disqualification, arguing that the UPSC cannot penalize her. On the 12th of August, Delhi High Court notified both Delhi Police and UPSC of Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea.

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