The Centre has granted the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) permission to use Aadhaar-based authentication voluntarily to verify candidates' identities during registration and at various stages of examinations and recruitment.
This development is significant because last month, the commission cancelled the provisional candidature of probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar and barred her from future examinations for allegedly availing attempts in the civil services examination fraudulently.
Khedkar has also been accused of wrongly utilising disability and Other Backward Classes (OBC) (non-creamy layer) quotas, among other allegations.
In a notification, the personnel ministry said the 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".
The commission shall adhere to all provisions of the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act, 2016, "the rules and regulations made thereunder" and directions issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the notification added.
Aadhaar is a 12-digit number issued by the UIDAI to all eligible citizens on the basis of biometric and demographic data.
The UPSC had, in July, initiated a series of actions against Khedkar, including the registration of a forgery case against her for availing attempts in the civil services exam by faking identity. Subsequently, the Delhi Police registered a case and started its probe.
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