UPSC Can't Verify 'Thousands Of' OBC, Disability Certificates, Commission Says In Puja Khedkar Case

The UPSC said that it only does a preliminary scrutiny of the certificates like the issuing date, format, year to which the certificate pertains, and whether it has been issued by competent authority.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Wednesday cancelled the selection of IAS trainee officer Puja Khedkar and barred her from taking the entrance exam for life after finding her guilty of faking her identity to take the exam multiple times. 

The UPSC also responded to the allegations against Khedkar of manipulating disability and OBC certificates to gain entry into the civil services. 

The UPSC said that it only does a preliminary scrutiny of the certificates like the issuing date, format, year to which the certificate pertains and whether it has been issued by the competent authority.

The agency also said that it neither has the mandate nor the wherewithal to check the veracity of thousands of certificates submitted by the candidates every year.

"So far as the complaints regarding the submission of false certificates (specifically OBC & PwBD categories) are concerned, the UPSC wishes to clarify that it does only a preliminary scrutiny of the certificates viz. whether the certificate has been issued by the competent authority, the year to which the certificate pertains, issuing date of the certificate, whether there is any overwriting on the certificate, format of the certificate etc," a statement issued by the UPSC on Wednesday said.

"Generally, the certificate is taken as genuine, if it has been issued by the competent authority. The UPSC neither has the mandate nor the wherewithal to check the veracity of thousands of certificates submitted by the candidates every year," the statement added. 

However, it is understood that scrutiny and verification of genuineness of certificates is carried out by the authorities mandated with this task, the UPSC added.

The UPSC had filed a police case against Puja Khedkar for allegedly fraudulently availing the civil services examination by faking her identity to take the exam beyond the permissible number of attempts. Khedkar faces an allegation of using fraudulent means, including allegedly manipulating the physical disability and Other Backward Classes (OBC) quotas to clear the UPSC examination. The authenticity of various certificates submitted by her to the UPSC is being probed.

The Delhi Police Crime Branch had booked Khedkar on July 19 for misusing the disability and OBC (non-creamy layer) quotas to secure her candidature in the civil services exam.

The trainee IAS applied for disability certification about her left limb knee joint back in 2022. She visited Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital for medical examinations and was assessed by multiple departments. The certificate, issued on August 24, 2022, stated that she had 7% disability in the knee, officials had said.

The IAS officer, who was a probationary assistant collector at the Pune district collectorate, was transferred to Washim from Pune earlier this month amid allegations that she misrepresented herself under the physical disabilities category.

During her stint in Pune, she allegedly misused power and privileges by demanding perks and facilities she was not entitled for. She is also accused of availing the OBC and non-creamy layer quota in the UPSC.

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