NEW DELHI, July 17: Amid the controversy surrounding probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, Former LBSNAA chief Sanjeev Chopra on Wednesday said those found using fake caste and disability certificates to join the civil services should not only be dismissed but training cost and salary paid to them should also be recovered from them.
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After Khedkar’s case of misusing power and privileges came to fore, social media is abuzz with claims and counter-claims on use of fake certificates by serving Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers among others.
Social media users have shared names, pictures and other details of a few IAS and IPS officers, claiming they used bogus certificates to claim benefits available for those belonging to Other Backward Class (non-creamy layer) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).
“This is a serious malaise in the system. Anyone found doing this has not only deprived a deserving candidate, but engaged in a willing criminal conspiracy. They are not juvenile delinquents to be let off with a warning,” Chopra told PTI.
He said apart from dismissal and recovery of training costs and salary paid so far, “they must serve their sentence” so that a loud and clear signal is given to all concerned.
“A deeper investigation into whoever helped them in the process should be undertaken and all those involved in this subterfuge should be punished as per the provisions of law,” said Chopra, a 1985 batch IAS (retired) officer of the West Bengal cadre.
He served as the Director of Mussoorie-based Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) from January 1, 2019 and March 31, 2021.
Claiming that certain EWS and OBC category candidates could not secure selection despite getting good ranks in the civil services examination, certain social media users have also raised questions over the verification process being followed for checking the authenticity of reservation and disability quotas.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the civil services examination annually in three stages– preliminary, main and interview — to select officers of the IAS, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and IPS among others.
Chopra also suggested use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) besides tougher checks while issuing OBC and disability quota certificates among others.
To a question involving Khedkar, who is accused of manipulating disability and OBC certificates, Chopra said the Centre’s single-member fact finding committee should look deeper into the whole matter.
“There are three aspects to this whole issue. The issue of misconduct by her during her training-cum-attachment in Pune is being dealt with by the state government concerned. She has been transferred from there. Though the transfer is not a punishment, her alleged conduct is being looked into,” Chopra said.
Another aspect is related to the use of fake disability and OBC (non-creamy layer) certificates, for which the probe panel has also been formed by the Union Personnel Ministry and the committee will delve into it, he said.
“The third and crucial aspect is whether there are leakages in the system or involvement of government officials, mainly lower level, working in testing and recruitment organisation. This is a larger issue that needs to be thoroughly investigated to ensure sanctity and credibility of the system,” Chopra said.
The LBSNAA — the country’s premier training academy for civil servants — on Tuesday called back Khedkar from Maharashtra by putting on hold her district training program for “further necessary action”.
Khedkar is a 2023 batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre. Her case came to notice when she allegedly started demanding certain perks and benefits, which she is not entitled for, while her posting in Pune.
She was accused of bullying everyone around and of placing a red-blue beacon (indicating high-ranking official) atop a private Audi (a luxury sedan) car used by her that also had ‘Maharashtra Government’ written on it.
Khedkar was transferred to Washim District Collectorate in the Vidarbha region following a complaint against her by the Pune district magistrate.
She got 821 rank in the civil services examination 2022, under OBC category as a person with multiple disabilities, according to UPSC records. She was allocated to the IAS based on her ranking, caste and disability category.
Meanwhile, the single-member probe committee of Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, Additional Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training, formed on July 11 has been asked to submit its report within two weeks on misuse of disability and OBC quotas by Khedkar to secure her candidature in the service.
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 has a provision to reserve at least four per cent of total seats in Government recruitment/department.
Candidates with benchmark disabilities (including multiple disabilities) besides those under OBC (non-creamy layer) get benefits like age-relaxation and earmarking of vacancies to be filled by them only in the civil services exam conducted by the UPSC.
OBC candidates, whose annual household income is less than Rs eight lakh, are eligible to take benefits of non-creamy layer reservation in certain Government jobs recruitment.
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