The Allahabad High Court has held that the date of birth recorded in the service book of an employee shall be deemed to be correct and final if the employee had not passed the High School examination at the time of appointment. In such cases, the service record constitutes the primary and conclusive document for determining the date of birth for service law purposes.
Legal Issue
The issue of date of birth disputes is a recurring one in service law matters, particularly in connection with retirement age. Government employees are typically required to retire upon reaching the age of 58 or 60 years (depending on the service category). Discrepancies between the date of birth in the service records and subsequently produced certificates sometimes arise and become the subject of litigation.
The High Court’s ruling addresses the specific situation where an employee claims a different date of birth on the basis of a High School mark sheet or certificate obtained after their entry into service.
High Court’s Ruling
The Allahabad High Court held that where an employee had not passed the High School examination at the time of joining service, and the date of birth was recorded in the service book at the time of appointment, that date must be treated as the authentic date of birth for all service law purposes.
The Court reasoned that the service records maintained at the time of entry into service are the most contemporaneous and reliable record of an employee’s date of birth. Allowing employees to challenge this record on the basis of later-obtained documents would lead to widespread litigation and affect the certainty of retirement dates across the public service.
Broader Legal Principle
This ruling is consistent with the broader legal principle, affirmed by the Supreme Court in multiple cases, that an employee cannot ordinarily get the date of birth in the service records altered after a certain period unless there is fraud or clear error in the original recording. The Supreme Court in State of U.P. v. Shatrughan Lal (1982) and subsequent cases set out detailed guidelines on this issue.
Practical Impact
The judgment provides clarity for both employees and employers regarding the finality of date of birth records in government service. It will help reduce litigation arising from attempts to alter service records based on documents obtained after entry into service.
Court: Allahabad High Court | Source: LiveLaw | June 2026
