The New Delhi Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has reaffirmed that judicial interference is warranted where a candidate’s medical disqualification is not justified. Consequently, the CAT set aside the rejection of the applicant’s candidature, declared her medically fit, and directed the respondents to issue an offer of appointment for the post of Constable (Executive) Female in Delhi Police within two months.
The Division Bench comprising Harvinder Kaur Oberoi (Judicial Member) and Dr. Sumeet Jerath (Technical Member) noted that the issue raised in the present O.A. was squarely covered by the judgment of the Coordinate Bench in O.A. No. 969/2024 (decided on Aug 18, 2025), which had dealt with an identical situation involving a similarly placed applicant, Khushbu Kumari. The Coordinate Bench, in that matter, had observed that while strict medical standards in uniformed forces must be respected, judicial interference is nonetheless justified “where the disqualification is based on conjecture rather than cogent medical evidence, particularly when higher judicial fora have already ruled on the very condition in issue.”
Crucially, the Coordinate Bench had clarified that it was not substituting its own views for those of the medical board, but was merely giving effect to binding precedents laid down by the High Court in SSC v. Aman Singh [W.P.(C) 13821/2024] and SSC v. Shruti Mishra [2025/DHC/3448-DB], both of which had directly addressed the question of keloids as a disqualifying condition.
Briefly, Amrita, a 22-year-old woman from Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, had applied for the post of Constable (Executive) Female in Delhi Police 2023 through the Staff Selection Commission (SSC). She was declared medically unfit at both stages of her medical examination, the Detailed Medical Examination (DME) and the Review Medical Examination (RME), on the ground that keloids were found on her chest and back, which the respondents classified as a “physical deformity” under the Notice of Examination. The respondents further contended that the decision of the Review Medical Board is final and non-appealable, and accordingly, no Offer of Appointment was issued to her.
