Amid ongoing legal proceedings involving former civil services trainee Puja Khedkar, who recently received interim relief from the Supreme Court, the central government has launched a sweeping probe into allegations of fake caste and category certificates used in the UPSC Civil Services Examination.
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), acting on a complaint filed by RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar in August 2024, has begun investigating 15 civil servants accused of misusing reservation benefits. Kumbhar had submitted a list of 22 individuals suspected of submitting fraudulent documents under reserved categories such as Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC-NCL), Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD).
The DoPT has formally sought verification reports from multiple states, including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Maharashtra, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Kerala. At the same time, it has approached key central ministries—Home Affairs, Revenue, and External Affairs—to revalidate the documents of the officers involved.
This probe covers candidates who appeared for the UPSC Civil Services Examination between 2015 and 2023. The matter gained traction following a formal complaint by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), prompting the DoPT to issue directives to all relevant ministries and departments at both central and state levels.
Currently, the investigation focuses on 11 IAS officers, 2 IPS officers, 1 IFS officer, and 1 IRS officer. Sources suggest that administrative action has already commenced against those found guilty of manipulating their category credentials to secure selection.
While the Puja Khedkar case continues to draw media attention, this broader inquiry signals a serious crackdown on irregularities in the recruitment process of India’s top civil services.
