Hospital gives big update on disability certificate to Trainee IAS Puja Khedkar

A civic hospital near Pune, which had issued a seven per cent 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 Wednesday.

The Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital, run by the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) near Pune city, had issued the certificate to Ms 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 the hospital for medical examinations and was assessed by multiple departments. The certificate, issued on August 24, 2022, stated that she had seven per cent 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 Ms 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.

As per the investigation, no one was found guilty of any wrongdoing, Dr Wable added.

Ms Khedkar had earlier submitted two certificates, provided by the Ahmednagar District Civil Hospital in 2018 and 2021 for visual impairment and mental illness respectively, to the UPSC under the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) category.

The 2023-batch IAS officer, who was a probationary assistant collector at the Pune district collectorate, was transferred to Washim from Pune earlier this month amid allegations that she misrepresented herself under the physical disabilities category.

During her stint in Pune, she allegedly misused power and privileges by demanding perks and facilities she was not entitled for. She is also accused of availing the OBC and non-creamy layer quota in the UPSC.

Following allegations against her, her probation period was put on hold and she was recalled to Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Uttarakhand's Mussoorie. Last week, UPSC took a series of actions, including registration of a police case, against Ms Khedkar for fraudulently availing attempts in the civil services examination by faking her identity.

The commission has also issued a show-cause notice for cancellation of her candidature of the civil services examination-2022 and debarment from future examinations and selections.

The Centre has directed the Pune police to apprise it of the marital status of Ms Khedkar's parents amid allegations that she fraudulently availed of the OBC non-creamy layer benefit in the UPSC exam by claiming that they were divorced.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from PTI)