Recorded date of birth is conclusive and cannot be corrected at the fag end of service.

The petitioner was initially engaged as a daily wager and later regularized as an Orderly on August 13, 1996

Following a medical examination where a Medical Officer certified his age as 35 years, his date of birth (DOB) was recorded in his service book as October 19, 1961

On December 10, 2021, nearing his retirement, the petitioner applied to correct his DOB to May 19, 1969, based on his Aadhar Card, PAN Card, Driving License, and a birth certificate obtained on October 25, 2021

The respondent Corporation rejected the request on January 19, 2022, and again on October 4, 2023, following the withdrawal of a previous writ petition

The petitioner retired on October 31, 2023, based on the original service record

1. Whether the respondent Corporation was justified in rejecting the petitioner's request for correction of his date of birth at the end of his service career.

2. Whether documents such as Aadhar cards, PAN cards, and birth certificates obtained shortly before retirement constitute "irrefutable proof" sufficient to override the service book entry under Rule 84 of the M.P. Financial Code.

Rule 84 of the M.P. Financial Code, which mandates that the date of birth declared and recorded at the time of appointment is "absolutely conclusive" and prohibits revisions except in cases of clerical errors

State of M.P. v. Premlal Shrivas (2011) 9 SCC 664, which established that courts must be circumspect in correcting DOB entries at the "fag end" of a career and that the onus is on the employee to prove a clerical error

Secretary and Commissioner Home Department v. R. Kirubakaran (1994) Supp. (1) SCC 155, holding that DOB corrections have a "chain reaction" affecting the seniority and promotion of others, thus requiring evidence of an "unimpeachable character"

The court found that the petitioner’s DOB was recorded in 1996 based on a medical certificate, and he failed to take any steps for correction for 25 years until 2021

Applying Rule 84 of the M.P. Financial Code, the court noted that the petitioner did not claim a "clerical error," but sought a substantive change, which is prohibited once the entry becomes conclusive

Regarding the supporting evidence, the court observed that the Aadhar card, PAN card, and Driving License were prepared long after the petitioner’s birth without a clear foundational basis for the dates recorded therein

Crucially, the birth certificate was obtained only in October 2021, suggesting it was procured specifically to extend service

Following the precedents in Premlal Shrivas and R. Kirubakaran, the court determined that the petitioner slept over his rights and failed to produce "irrefutable proof" to justify a late-career modification

The court affirmed that the date of birth recorded at the commencement of service is binding, especially when the request for change is made at the end of the service career without evidence of a clerical error

No relief was granted to the petitioner