No wrongdoing found in issuance of locomotor disability certificate to Puja Khedkar: Hospital authorities

Hospital near Pune confirms no wrongdoing in issuing disability certificate to IAS officer Puja Khedkar.

A civic hospital near Pune, which had issued a 7% locomotor disability certificate to IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, has found in its internal probe that the document was as per the rules and there was no wrongdoing in its issuance, a senior official said on July 24.

The Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital, run by the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) near Pune city, had issued the certificate to Khedkar in August 2022.

Ms. Khedkar faces an allegation of using fraudulent means, including allegedly manipulating the physical disability and Other Backward Classes (OBC) quotas to clear the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination. The authenticity of various certificates submitted by her to the UPSC is being probed.

She applied for disability certification about her left limb knee joint back in 2022. She visited here 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 earlier said.

YCM's dean Dr. Rajendra Wable had sought a report from the internal speciality orthopaedic and physiotherapy department of the hospital following a communication from the district collectorate that asked the civic-run facility to conduct an inquiry if there was any wrongdoing in the issuance of the disability certificate to Ms. Khedkar. The district authorities also directed it to lodge a police complaint if any wrongdoing was found.

It also ordered that penal action be taken if any racket was found involved in it.

Dr. Wable said, "Last week, we received this communication from the Pune collector office, following which we sought a report from the internal speciality orthopaedic and physiotherapy department of the hospital. As per the report submitted by it on Monday, the locomotor disability certificate of seven per cent was issued to Khedkar as per the rules." "But the certificate would not be of any help in obtaining any facility either in education or jobs. That certificate is of no significance," he said.