A huge controversy erupted after it was revealed that former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar had availed reservation benefits under the OBC and disability quota by submitting fake certificates.
Amid the controversy surrounding former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar whose candidature was cancelled by the UPSC earlier this week for allegedly submitting forged disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates, the disability certificates of another six civil servants has come under the scanner after they were flagged on social media.
Officials said the disability certificates of six civil servants, which also includes some probationary officers, will be scrutinised by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) to ensure their authenticity.
False certificates flagged on social media
The action came after some social media users flagged the issue, claiming that the medical certificates submitted by these six civil servants were forged.
The disability status, which these six officers have availed for selection, will be re-examined by a medical board under the directions of the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), the DoPT said.
UPSC rules mandate that a candidate should have a minimum of 40 percent disability to avail reservation benefits under the disability quota. Disabled persons also provided relaxation in age limits, number of attempts and special provisions in exam centres for specially-abled candidates.
Puja Khedkar row
A huge controversy erupted after it was revealed that former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar had availed reservation benefits under the OBC and disability quota by submitting fake certificates.
Khedkar allegedly used the disability benefits to avail more chances than are permitted for open category candidates and got selected using benefits which she did not qualify for. In 2022, Khedkar received a 7 percent locomotor disability certificate from Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital, despite no no disability being reported by the hospital’s physiotherapy department.
Following the controversy which even brought its own sanctity under the scanner, the UPSC stated that data of over 15,000 candidates was scanned and no candidate availed more than the allowed number of attempts, except for Khedkar who did so “primarily due to the fact that she changed not only her name but also her parents’ name”.
Asked about the fake certificates submitted by Khedkar, the UPSC said a preliminary scrutiny is carried out and the certificates submitted by candidates are considered genuine if issued by competent authorities.
“The UPSC neither has the mandate nor the wherewithal to check the veracity of thousands of certificates submitted by the candidates every year,” it said.
On Wednesday, the UPSC cancelled the candidature of IAS probationer Puja Khedkar in the 2022 civil services examination (CSE) and barred her from appearing for any future exams.
A report on Friday claimed that Khedkar has fled to Dubai to evade arrest, day after a Delhi court denied her anticipatory bail in the case filed by the UPSC.
(With inputs from agencies)
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