New Delhi: The central government has initiated an inquiry into 15 civil servants suspected of securing their positions using fake or questionable reservation certificates. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has written to the respective state governments requesting a thorough verification of the caste, income, and disability documents submitted by these officers.
Questions were raised about 22 civil services officers, of which the DoPT selected 15 for verification. This group includes two IAS officers each from Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana, and one each from Odisha, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Kerala. It also includes two IPS officials serving in the Ministry of Home Affairs, an IRS officer in the Revenue Department, and an IFS officer in the Ministry of External Affairs.
The inquiry was ordered following multiple complaints by Pune-based RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar, who highlighted irregularities in UPSC selections and the lack of proper verification. Most of the officers under scrutiny were selected between 2015 and 2023. According to information obtained by ThePrint, the certificates under scrutiny relate to categories like OBC, SC, ST, economically weaker section (EWS), and persons with benchmark disabilities (PwBD).
“Someone who genuinely deserved that seat is now out because someone else lied on paper,” Kumbhar said to ThePrint. “It’s not just a technical error, it’s a breach of public trust. The UPSC and DoPT systems need to be linked with real-time caste and income databases. Right now, there are too many loopholes.”
ThePrint reached Under Secretary Anshuman Mishra in DoPT via calls and emails. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
Speaking to ThePrint on condition of anonymity, though, a DoPT official confirmed the inquiry. “This is an internal inquiry. I cannot say much, but the letters have been sent to respective states for investigation,” the official said.
The DoPT, in its letters dated 5 May, 2025, and signed by Anshuman Mishra, has requested state governments and central ministries to verify the reservation certificates—specifically those for income and asset criteria EWS, OBC-NCL, SC, and ST—submitted by 15 civil service officers during their UPSC selection process.
The letters reference complaints originally forwarded by the UPSC and ask the respective authorities to authenticate the documents and report back. This coordinated move marks a structured and multi-cadre probe into alleged misuse of reservation benefits in the country’s top bureaucracy.
The issue gained national attention after the 2024 case of probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who was dismissed after being found to have submitted false OBC and disability certificates. Her case had sparked outrage and demands for stricter verification.
The DoPT has said that further disciplinary action against the 15 officers will depend on what the state-level verifications uncover.
In 2024, Kumbhar sent a letter to the President of India raising these concerns but did not receive a response. The letter was then forwarded to the UPSC, which stated that the matter was not within its jurisdiction and passed it on to the DoPT. Kumbhar has since filed three separate RTI applications to keep the issue alive.
“I am still not satisfied that action has been taken by the department. This work shouldn’t be done by a citizen but by the concerned department. This is very shameful,” Kumbhar said.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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