Govt probed social media complaints against 20 bureaucrats over fake income, disability certificates to avail reservation benefits

Bureaucrats under scrutiny for fake certificates to avail reservation in Civil Services Examination, investigation ongoing.

Around 20 bureaucrats faced scrutiny for submitting fake income and disability certificates to avail reservation in the Civil Services Examination (CSE) conducted by the Union Public Service Commission, government officials said on Wednesday (June 18, 2025).

While the probe has cleared most of the names, one officer is still under investigation.

Officers of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Revenue Service (IRS), and those from other Union government services with several years of service faced the probe following complaints on social media last year, officials said.

The income, caste and physical disability documents submitted by at least 40 of 1,009 candidates who cleared the CSE 2024 are also being investigated, the official added. Results of the examination were announced in April this year. 

Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Personnel and Grievances, said at a press conference on Wednesday that investigations were conducted whenever a complaint was received, but the issue was too big to be left to the Ministry alone. It required cooperation from the larger society as it had a social-cultural genesis, he said, on aspirants who submit fraudulent certificates to avail reservation in Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) categories.

In 2024, IAS probationer Puja Khedkar was sacked for submitting fake PwBD and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates to clear the 2022 civil services examination. A criminal case was lodged against her.

The Minister said after the Puja Khedkar row surfaced, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) is also keeping track of activities of the fresh recruits after they leave the training centre and informally gathers information when they begin to serve in the districts.