New Delhi, Oct. 3 -- The Delhi high court has rebuked the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) for cancelling a candidate's candidature and barring him from examinations without giving him an opportunity to defend himself, observing that such a ban at the cusp of a career is "almost akin to civil death".

"The consequences of cancellation of candidature of a candidate and debarment in an examination cannot be forgotten. It results in far more than a mere road block in the career of the candidate concerned. The news spreads. The candidate is tarnished as one who does not play fair. The decision results in long-lasting social stigma which, perhaps, may haunt the candidate for the remainder of his life. To a candidate at the cusp of his professi...