The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to the UPSC on a PIL seeking to prevent former civil services aspirants and coaching faculty from acting as scribes for candidates with disabilities to ensure a level playing field in the examination.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday issued notice to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and other respondents on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking safeguards against the appointment of former UPSC aspirants and civil services coaching faculty as scribes for candidates with disabilities appearing in the Civil Services Examination.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tejas Karia issued notice to all respondents after hearing preliminary submissions made by Advocate Rahul Bajaj, appearing for the petitioner organisation, Deepstambh Foundation.
Conflict of Interest Alleged
During the hearing, Bajaj submitted that while the petitioner fully supports the right of persons with disabilities (PwBD) to avail the facility of a scribe, the existing UPSC framework permits individuals who have previously appeared in the Civil Services Examination or are engaged in coaching civil services aspirants to act as scribes. According to him, such persons possess specialised knowledge of the examination process, answer-writing techniques and evaluation standards, which creates a conflict of interest and compromises the fairness of the examination.
Directions Sought in PIL
The petitioner has sought directions restraining the UPSC from permitting any person who has appeared in the Civil Services Examination at any stage, Preliminary, Mains or Personality Test/Interview, to act as a scribe for PwBD candidates. It has also sought a direction prohibiting persons presently or previously engaged in teaching or coaching civil services aspirants from acting as scribes.
The PIL further seeks directions requiring every person acting as a scribe to furnish an undertaking declaring that they have neither appeared in the UPSC Civil Services Examination nor coached candidates preparing for the examination. It also seeks appropriate legal consequences if such declarations are found to be false.
Concerns Over Current Scribe Eligibility
According to the petition, the UPSC currently allows candidates with benchmark disabilities, including blindness, low vision, locomotor disability and cerebral palsy, to use scribes. However, the eligibility criteria only stipulate that a scribe should not possess qualifications higher than the minimum educational qualification prescribed for the examination and should at least be a matriculate.
The petitioner contends that this enables graduates who have previously attempted the Civil Services Examination, as well as faculty members associated with UPSC coaching institutes, to qualify as scribes. It argues that such individuals can go beyond merely transcribing dictated answers and may subtly influence the content, structure and quality of responses because of their familiarity with the examination.
Widespread Misuse and Unfair Advantage Alleged
The petition further alleges that the misuse of the scribe facility is widespread, with informal "scribe services" being facilitated in coaching hubs. It claims that the practice undermines the level playing field for both non-disabled candidates and genuine PwBD candidates, while eroding public confidence in the merit-based nature of the Civil Services Examination.
The petitioner, however, has clarified that it is not seeking a blanket restriction on the use of personal scribes by candidates with disabilities. Instead, it seeks only to prevent the use of what it describes as "conflicted scribes" individuals who have previously appeared in the UPSC examination or have coached civil services aspirants while ensuring that the rights and accessibility needs of persons with disabilities remain fully protected.
The petition also states that Deepstambh Foundation had submitted a representation to the UPSC on April 11, 2026, requesting measures to address the issue. As no action was taken on the representation, the organisation approached the Delhi High Court by way of the present PIL. (ANI)
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