PUNE: In a complex and controversial case, probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar is facing scrutiny over multiple disability certificates she obtained from various hospitals, raising questions about her eligibility for the IAS under multiple disability categories.
Multiple Disability Certificates Raise Questions
Puja Khedkar, who had previously secured disability certificates for low vision in 2018 and for mental depression and low vision in 2021 from the Ahmednagar district hospital, applied for additional disability certificates in August 2022. She sought certification for locomotor disability from both the District Civil Hospital in Aundh and Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital (YCMH) in Pimpri, Pune.
Dual Applications and Rejections
While YCMH granted her a 7% locomotor disability certificate citing an old ACL tear, the District Civil Hospital at Aundh rejected her application due to “double submission.” Dr. Nagnath Yempalle, civil surgeon at District Civil Hospital, Aundh, explained that the application was rejected on October 11, 2022, because the Unique Disability ID (UDID) website showed two concurrent applications.
Career Progression and Controversy
By 2022, Khedkar was an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, serving as an assistant director with the Sports Authority of India (SAI). Selected for IRS under the OBC category and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) for low vision, she later cleared the UPSC exam again and was selected for IAS under the OBC and PwBD (Multiple Disabilities) categories. This selection has raised suspicions that the multiple disability certificates may have facilitated her IAS selection under the MD quota.
Official Responses and Reactions
Repeated attempts by TOI to contact Khedkar for her version of events were unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Dr. Rajendra Wable, dean of the Postgraduate Institute at YCMH, Pimpri, defended their issuance of the 7% locomotor disability certificate, attributing the automatic cancellation of her application at Aundh to the already generated certificate at YCMH.
The YCMH certificate stated, “The diagnosis in her case is an old ACL tear with left knee instability. She has a 7% permanent disability in relation to her left lower limb as per the guidelines.”
Previous Certificates and Medical Reports
Ahmednagar’s district civil surgeon, Dr. Sanjay Ghogare, submitted a detailed report to the Ahmednagar collector, highlighting the two previous certificates issued to Khedkar. In 2018, she was diagnosed with 40% vision impairment, and in 2021, she received a certificate for depression and low vision, with a combined disability assessment of 51%.
The report clarified, “On April 25, 2018, Puja Khedkar was examined by an ophthalmic surgeon for her vision problem and was found to be suffering from BE High Myopia with Myopic degeneration, with a 40% permanent disability. Accordingly, she was issued a Disability Certificate on April 25, 2018.”
It added, “On January 18, 2021, she was examined for psychiatric illness by psychiatrists, and the Indian Disability and Evaluation Assessment Scale found her to be suffering from depression.”
Future Implications
This case highlights the complexities and potential loopholes in the disability certification process. The ongoing investigations and scrutiny by the authorities are likely to have significant implications for Khedkar’s career and the broader system of disability certification and reservations in India.
For more detailed coverage and updates on this developing story, stay tuned to Sarhind Times.
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