Delhi HC upholds cancellation of UPSC aspirant's candidature for uploading wrong photo

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday upheld the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC)'s decision to cancel the candidature of an aspirant for the Civil Services (Main) Examination due to the inadvertent uploading of incorrect photographs and signatures in the application form.

The aspirant had passed the Preliminary Examination but mistakenly uploaded her brother's photo and signature.

She challenged the cancellation before the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and sought permission to appear in the Main Examination, but her plea was rejected.

The high court upheld the CAT's decision, noting that candidates have a seven-day window to correct application form errors after the application window closes, which the petitioner did not utilise.

It also observed that she approached the Tribunal almost 15 days after her candidature was rejected.

Given the proximity of the Main Examination and the petitioner's delay in seeking a remedy, the court dismissed the writ petition.

The UPSC argued that candidates must preview and confirm their application forms before uploading them, with a seven-day window for corrections.

Granting relief to the petitioner would violate Article 14 of the Constitution, as it would provide her with a benefit

denied to other candidates, it added.

The court also observed the Tribunal's findings that UPSC instructions are statutory, based on the Civil Services Examination Rules, 2023.

It noted that Note 6(1)(e) of the Examination Rules specifies that uploading an irrelevant photo/signature in place of the actual ones results in disqualification.