DoPT initiates probe into ‘fake' certificates submitted by officers of Central services
The Department of Personnel and Training has asked state governments to verify the authenticity of certificates submitted by more than a dozen Central services' officers while availing of various reservations in the Civil Services Examination, The Indian Express has learnt.
The DoPT has recently sent more than a dozen letters seeking verification of the certificates, a DoPT source said on condition of anonymity.
At least one such letter was sent to the Rajasthan government on May 5 asking for the verification of the income and asset certificate submitted by an IAS officer of 2022 batch. The officer, who is from Rajasthan, was selected under the Economically Weaker Section category and allotted the Madhya Pradesh cadre, as per the letter sent to the Rajasthan Chief Secretary. The DoPT also forwarded the complaint alleging use of fake income and asset certificate by the officer in question, which was forwarded to it by the Union Public Service Commission.
'The State Government is requested to verify the authenticity of I&A certificate issued to [name of the officer] under EWS category,' the DoPT wrote.
The letter was shared by RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar, who had filed complaints regarding 22 officers with fake certificates of different kinds, such as EWS, SC, ST, persons with benchmark disabilities and OBC non-creamy layer, last year. Kumbhar, who is also associated with the Aam Aadmi Party, said the DoPT had initiated an inquiry into the alleged misuse of reservation certificates by multiple candidates who appeared for the CSE from 2015 to 2023.
Kumbhar had also flagged the alleged fake disability certificate used by then-IAS probationer Puja Khedkar last year. The DoPT in September 2024 discharged her from service, finding that she was ineligible to be a candidate in the 2022 exam. Khedkar has challenged the decisions and the matter is pending in court.
Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the housing and urban affairs and Election Commission beats. She has 11 years of experience as a reporter and sub-editor. Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she was a reporter with The Hindu's national bureau covering culture, social justice, housing and urban affairs and the Election Commission. ... Read More
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