In its order, the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) has said that the new measure would be applicable both at the time of registration and at all stages of examination and recruitment.

The DoPT said the UPSC had been authorised to offer "voluntary authentication through Aadhaar" to enhance the integrity of the examination process.

The order reads, "The UPSC will now be able to use Aadhaar's Yes/No or e-KYC authentication facilities for identity verification on its 'one-time registration' portal and throughout the recruitment process."

The notification cites the Aadhaar (Targeted Delivery of Financial and Other Subsidies, Benefits and Services) Act 2016, and the Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance (Social Welfare, Innovation, Knowledge) Rules 2020 as the legislative backbone to support its decision.

"The UPSC is required to comply with all relevant provisions of the Act, rules, and directives issued by the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), which manages the Aadhaar system," the DoPT said.

The decision comes in the backdrop of the Puja Khedkar candidature controversy. Khedkar was a probationary IAS officer of 2022 batch but her provisional candidature was canceled after it was found by a committee that she had fraudulently availed additional attempts in the civil services examination.

The UPSC has also permanently barred Khedkar from all its future examinations for allegedly manipulating her identity and misusing the Other Backward Classes (OBC) non-creamy layer category. The panel has also filed an FIR against her. 

Earlier this month, she moved the Delhi High Court against the UPSC and was granted anticipatory bail from any arrest.

In her reply to the UPSC charges, Khedkar contended before the High Court that the committee set up by UPSC had no power to act against her. She argued that the UPSC didn't have the power to disqualify her after she was selected for the civil services and appointed a probationer.

Only the DoPT had the power to take action against her under the All India Services Act, 1954, and the Probationer Rules as per Rule 19 of the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022, Khedkar had contended.

The High Court had also extended Khedkar's interim protection from arrest till September 5. The UPSC had said her custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth the magnitude of the "fraud" that could not have been done without the help of others.

The beleaguered UPSC, which conducts 14 major examinations annually, including the civil services examination to recruit IAS, IFS, IPS, and Group 'A' and Group 'B' officers, has been exploring advanced technologies to uphold the integrity of its processes.

In June, the UPSC announced plans to introduce facial recognition and artificial intelligence-based CCTV surveillance during examinations to combat cheating and impersonation. It has already invited bids for Aadhaar-based fingerprint authentication and facial recognition of candidates, and live CCTV surveillance.