Nearly 20 bureaucrats are being investigated for allegedly using fake income and disability certificates to claim reservation benefits in the UPSC Civil Services Examination, as confirmed by government officials on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
Around 20 bureaucrats are under investigation for allegedly submitting fraudulent income and disability certificates to secure reservations in the Civil Services Examination (CSE) held by the Union Public Service Commission, government officials reported on Wednesday, June 18, 2025.
While most of the individuals have been cleared, one officer remains under investigation.
As reported by THE HINDU, The inquiry involved officers from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), and Indian Revenue Service (IRS), as well as other Union government services, following complaints that emerged on social media last year, officials stated.
Additionally, the income, caste, and disability documents of at least 40 of the 1,009 candidates who passed the CSE 2024 are also being scrutinized, as the results were announced in April this year.
Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Personnel and Grievances, mentioned at a press conference that investigations are initiated whenever complaints arise, but he emphasized that the matter is too significant to be handled solely by the Ministry.
He noted that it requires broader societal cooperation due to its social and cultural roots concerning aspirants who submit fake certificates to qualify for reservations in the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) categories.
In 2024, IAS probationer Puja Khedkar was dismissed for submitting false PwBD and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates to pass the 2022 civil services examination, resulting in a criminal case against her.
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The Minister indicated that after the Khedkar incident, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) began monitoring the activities of new recruits after training, gathering informal feedback as they start their district assignments.
Following the controversy, social media users highlighted cases of nearly 15 serving officers across various services who allegedly benefited from reservations through fraudulent documentation.
A.P. Das Joshi, Additional Secretary at the DoPT, stated that the medical testing process for PwBD candidates has been refined since the Khedkar case.
Mr. Joshi said,
“We received complaints on social media, a thorough enquiry was done, and in most cases nothing specific was found. There is only one case that we are investigating further,”
Another government official noted that income certificates are verified through state governments and the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). Candidates found to have submitted false claims are not assigned any service.
Since 2019, candidates not covered by reservations for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and OBCs, with an annual family income below Rs.8 lakh, are eligible for a 10% reservation under the EWS quota. Additionally, about 4% of positions are reserved for PwBD candidates in the Civil Services Examination.