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Union Public Service Commission v. Shristi Singh

Civil Appeal · 2019 INSC 955Decided 26 Aug 2019
Civil Appeal No. 6618 of 2019
Justice L. Nageswara Rao · Justice Hemant Gupta

Background

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) advertised posts of Drug Inspector requiring 18 months of specified laboratory experience. The respondent's candidature was rejected after an initial selection round because UPSC found her experience certificates insufficient. She challenged this before the Central Administrative Tribunal, which ruled in her favour and directed UPSC to interview her, and the High Court upheld that ruling.

Decision Breakdown

The Supreme Court examined the three experience certificates she had relied on and found that none of them, properly read, established the required 18 months of testing experience in Schedule 'C' drugs before her application date. One certificate was issued only a day after she applied and recorded unpaid, non-remunerative work, which the Court found doubtful as genuine proof of prior experience. The Court held that UPSC's original rejection of her candidature was correct and that the Tribunal and High Court should not have interfered with that administrative decision.

Lesson Learnt

Candidates relying on experience certificates for recruitment eligibility should ensure the certificates are issued well before the application deadline and clearly state genuine, relevant, and (where required) remunerative work experience: tribunals and courts will scrutinise suspiciously timed or vaguely worded certificates.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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