New Delhi, July 20: G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant has raised serious concerns about the competency and integrity of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
Several cases of fraud through UPSC for entry to top Civil Services are being alleged. All such cases must be fully investigated and the sternest action taken,” Kant, who is also the former chairman of NITI Aayog, posted on X.
His statement comes following allegations against Maharashtra cadre IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who allegedly used fake disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates to gain an unfair advantage in the UPSC selections, leading to her appointment as an IAS officer.
Khedkar came into the spotlight after she was transferred out of Pune before finishing her training for misusing power and privileges as a bureaucrat.
Several other high-ranking officers are now under scrutiny for allegedly using fake certificates to benefit from reservations meant for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), Persons with Disabilities (PwD), and others.
“Several cases of fraud through UPSC for entry to top Civil Services are being alleged. All such cases must be fully investigated and the sternest action taken,” Kant’s post further read.
He emphasized that selection should be based on competence and integrity. While showing support towards Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe and OBC reservations, Kant called for a review of existing reservations for the physically and mentally handicapped and the proposed 1% reservation for the third gender in top civil services. “These reservations are being misused to gain unfair advantages in the prestigious examinations. The SC/ST or OBC reservations should continue, with the creamy layer regulations being enforced,” the G20 Sherpa said.
Khedkar, a probationary IAS officer, is at the centre of the controversy over her alleged misuse of power as a civil servant. Khedkar reportedly submitted fake disability and OBC certificates to clear the civil services exam, according to PTI.
Reports also claimed that she had submitted a mental illness certificate. In April 2022, she was asked to report to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, for verification of her disability certificate, but she did not comply, citing a COVID-19 infection.
On Friday, the UPSC said it had filed a first information report (FIR) against Khedkar and sent her show cause notice to cancel her appointment after an investigation revealed that she faked her identity by changing her name, photograph and other details to appear for the examination.
IAS-turned-actor Abhishek Singh is also facing similar allegations of using a fake disability certificate to secure selection in the prestigious service.
Videos of Singh doing heavy exercises in the gym have surfaced online, further fueling the allegations. Singh, a 2011-batch IAS officer who resigned last year to become an actor, responded to the accusations by stating that he is being targeted due to his pro-reservation stance, despite being from the general category. He took to X to address his critics, explaining his position and defending his actions.
According to the government rules, candidates from the general category can appear for the civil services exam a maximum of six times, and those from OBC and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) can appear nine times.
