Fraudulent disability certificates may be verified again, and medical examination can replace mere physical inspection to prevent quota misuse.

Certificates issued under the statutory disability scheme are not immune from verification where the record shows material suggesting fraudulent procurement and misuse of reservation benefits. The SC stated that fraud vitiates all acts, so the State may reopen and verify disability certificates even after issuance by the Medical Board. It also noted that physical inspection alone is not a reliable substitute for medical examination in cases involving visual or hearing impairment. On those facts, the State's verification exercise was upheld and the restraint imposed by the High Court was unwarranted.

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Issues: Whether the State could require verification and fresh medical examination of disability certificates already issued under the disability rules when there was material indicating that a substantial number of certificates had been fraudulently obtained.

Analysis: The disability certificates were issued by the Medical Board under the statutory scheme, but the record disclosed a serious complaint that many candidates had secured reservation benefits without suffering from the disability certified. A verification exercise by the Medical Board had already revealed that a significant percentage of selected candidates in the handicapped category were not actually disabled. The Court held that the statutory framework did not protect certificates procured by fraud, and that in the presence of genuine suspicion and proven fraudulent procurement, the State was entitled to verify the certificates. Physical verification alone was not an adequate substitute for medical examination in cases involving disabilities such as visual or hearing impairment.

Conclusion: The State was entitled to reopen verification in the facts of the case, and the High Court ought not to have interfered to restrain that exercise. The challenge to the State action failed, and the writ petition was liable to be dismissed.

Final Conclusion: Fraudulent acquisition of disability certificates could not be protected, and the State's verification process was upheld as a lawful measure to prevent misuse of the reserved quota.

Ratio Decidendi: Certificates obtained by fraud can be verified and acted upon notwithstanding their original issuance under the statutory disability scheme, because fraud vitiates all acts and no equitable protection can be claimed to sustain a fraudulent benefit.

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