A 27-year-old man from Mumbai has approached the Bombay High Court challenging denial of employment by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on the ground that his biometric thumbprints were inconsistent.
Akshay Sapkal approached a Bench of Justices Akil Kureshi and S.J. Kathawalla on Monday, saying he suffered from a “seasonal skin disorder” called ‘hyperhydrosis’. The disorder caused the skin of his palm to peel off and therefore, his biometric thumb impressions were inconsistent, he said. As per the plea filed through his lawyer Ashish Giri, Mr. Sapkal applied for the post of an assistant with the RBI.
In December 2016, he appeared for a preliminary online examination, which he cleared. He was then asked to appear for the main written exam at a centre chosen by the RBI. Candidates were photographed and had to give thumb impressions while entering and leaving the exam centre. When Mr. Sapkal’s prints did not match, he told officials about his plight and gave a written undertaking to the effect.
In May 2017, he was called for the second stage of the exam, a language proficiency test, which he also cleared. However, his thumb impressions at the entry and exit of the centre again did not match each other or the one taken the first time. Mr. Giri told the high court that even at this exam centre, photographs of all candidates had been taken.
Mr. Sapkal wrote several times to the RBI explaining his situation. But, in July 2017, the RBI informed him that he could not be appointed to the post due to the biometric inconsistencies.
On Monday, while the RBI opposed his petition, Mr. Giri said photos taken at all the exam centres would prove Mr. Sapkal had not employed any fraudulent measures.
The RBI’s counsel, Venkatesh Dhond, said the bank could not claim for certain that Mr. Sapkal entered the examination hall but someone else came out in his place after writing the exam.
The court directed the RBI to go through all photos and biometric data pertaining to the petitioner and ascertain if it was Mr. Sapkal who appeared for all the tests. It directed the RBI to place its findings on record within two weeks.
