UPSC personality test system is fair and free from discrimination : Jitendra Singh

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has reaffirmed that its interview and personality-test system is free from bias and discrimination. This came following a written response by Union Minister Jitendra Singh in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday .

Singh explained that candidates are randomised before being assigned to interview boards each day. Neither the candidate’s category (General, OBC, SC, ST) nor their written exam marks are shared with the interviewers. Similarly, the identity of board members is not disclosed to the candidates. According to him, these measures ensure that “the question of discrimination or bias … does not arise.”

He also added that for transparency, the marks of all recommended candidates including written exam, interview, and total are published on UPSC’s official website.

This reaffirmation follows the high-profile disqualification of Puja Khedkar . In July 2024, UPSC cancelled her provisional selection and permanently debarred her from all future exams, concluding she had “fraudulently availed attempts beyond the permissible limit” by allegedly faking her identity. The decision came after a show-cause notice and formal inquiry.

In response to the Khedkar case, UPSC reviewed the records of more than 15,000 candidates selected in Civil Services Examinations between 2009 and 2023. The Commission stated that aside from the Khedkar case no other instance was found where a candidate had illegally exceeded the allowed number of attempts.

While the case has renewed public focus on quota verification, eligibility checks, and the overall integrity of the selection process, UPSC maintains that the interview system’s structure including random board allocation and anonymity of candidate category continues to uphold fairness.

However, questions about the subjective nature of interview evaluations remain a topic of public and aspirant debate.