Bhopal: The dismissal of Maharashtra cadre IAS probationer Pooja Khedkar for submitting a fake caste certificate in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination has highlighted a larger issue in Madhya Pradesh. Over a thousand government employees in the state are accused of securing jobs using fake caste certificates. However, investigations into 90 per cent of these cases remain incomplete, allowing the accused to continue holding government positions.
A senior official remarked, "The departmental inquiries are either pending or being delayed indefinitely. Even in cases where investigations have been completed, no significant action has been taken against the accused."
Despite recommendations from high-level investigation committees, departmental authorities have neither dismissed these employees nor recovered undue benefits obtained through fraudulent means. A retired Director General of Police, Arun Gurtu, commented, "IAS, IPS, and IFS officers often misuse their positions because the government lacks adequate control over them. The pace of the investigation is so slow that many officers retire before any action is taken."
A notable example involved a letter for filing an FIR against an officer accused of using a fake certificate 11 years ago. Despite this, no action has been taken and the officer continues to serve. Similar cases in departments such as Handloom and Science and Technology remain unresolved.
The Supreme Court has ruled in two landmark cases- Madhuri Patil vs Additional Commissioner Tribal Department Maharashtra and Director Tribal Welfare Andhra Pradesh vs Lavedi Giri- that if a caste certificate is found to be fake, the employer can directly dismiss the accused and initiate criminal proceedings.
The police official said that in Madhya Pradesh, over 600 Class I officers are suspected of possessing fake caste certificates. The State Information Commission recently addressed a related controversy, ruling that caste certificate information for government employees is not personal and should be accessible under the RTI Act.
