The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sought responses from the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and the Central Government on a plea seeking to bar coaching centre faculty and former UPSC aspirants from acting as scribes in the Civil Services Examination.
The plea questions the practice of allowing candidates under the disability quota to engage as scribes persons who have previously appeared for the Civil Services Examination.
A Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia issued notices to the UPSC, the Union Government’s Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), and the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.
The public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed by the Deepstambh Foundation, which provides coaching for UPSC aspirants with disabilities. Disability rights expert and advocate Rahul Bajaj appeared for the petitioner during the hearing.
The petition states that, in line with the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act), and the Central Government’s guidelines, candidates under the disability quota may bring their own scribe to write the UPSC examination, provided the scribe is one level below the candidate in terms of educational qualifications.
However, the petition alleges that these guidelines are being misused because candidates are engaging not neutral helpers but persons with prior knowledge and experience of the examination.
It further states that scribe services are being provided by teachers employed at UPSC coaching institutes in Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar and Old Rajinder Nagar, as well as by graduates who have previously appeared for the examination.
“This practice defeats the very purpose of a competitive examination meant to select the best on objective criteria. It not only prejudices thousands of non-disabled and PwBD candidates who prepare honestly without such support but also erodes public confidence in the Civil Services as a meritocratic institution,” the plea states.
The petitioner has urged the High Court to direct that candidates under the disability quota should not be allowed to engage a scribe who has already appeared for the UPSC examination.
The plea also seeks directions to bar scribes who are employed by or affiliated with UPSC coaching centres. It further seeks a direction requiring every scribe to submit an undertaking that they are neither employed by nor affiliated with any such coaching centre. The next hearing is scheduled for September 16.