Praful Desai denied the allegations and said his certificates, including the EWS certificate and the disability certificate, were genuine.
Published Jul 17, 2024 | 7:50 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 17, 2024 | 8:27 PM
Praful Desai- Additional Collector Karimnagar. (X)
A Telangana cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the 2019 batch is facing allegations of forging a disability certificate to avail reservation in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) civil service examination.
The allegations against Karimnagar Additional Collector Praful Desai surfaced on social media on the heels of the reports that Puja Khedkar, a Maharashtra cadre IAS trainee, forged a locomotor disability certificate to claim reservation.
Meanwhile, Desai denied the allegations and said he belongs to a peasant family and his certificates, including the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) certificate and the disability certificate were genuine.
He further said that those certificates were verified by competent authorities during his interview process.
On 17 July, several accounts on X targeted Desai and shared pictures of him cycling, playing tennis, rafting, and horse riding.
Users claimed that despite having a disability certificate, his photos depict him engaging in activities without apparent difficulty.
A user named Sakshi raised questions about Desai on X.
“You are Praful Desai, an IAS officer from the 2019 batch with AIR 532 in the EWS and Orthopedically handicapped category. People on Twitter are sharing photos of you cycling, playing tennis, rafting, and horse riding, claiming you’ve fully recovered after rigorous training at LBSNAA,” she wrote on X.
“Now that these photos are public, you’ve suddenly made your account private. What are you afraid of? Please address the doubts of aspirants to uphold the transparency of the UPSC. Many hardworking students keep their dreams alive through dedication and hard work. Please give them an answer sir!” she added.
The post, which has gone viral, also gathered numerous reactions.
Some users said an investigation would expose more officers, and claimed there are “many scammers”.
Others alleged that the IAS recruitment was a scam and said incidents like these cast a shadow over the aspirations of deserving candidates.
Meanwhile, Desai told South First that his certificates were all genuine and his disability was verified by the authorities at the All India Institue of Medical Sciences in Delhi.
“I hail from a farmer’s family in Karnataka and I mentioned in my applications that I belong to the Economic Weaker Section (EWS). I am firm on my stand even though I am receiving hate comments against my family. I appeared for medical board exams twice and the doctors were different each time. I have certificates from authorities concerned that prove that I have a 45 percent disability,” Desai said.
“Regarding the photos, the activities were not mandatory (during training) but I took it as a challenge with my batchmates’ support. I have had muscular weakness in my left leg since childhood. Adhering to the procedures, I have appeared before the medical team of Delhi AIIMs twice,” he added.
He also posted a clarification on X regarding his benchmark disability adding that he was ready for any medical board examination.
He said the photos of the activities were from his training period with batchmates and questioned whether it was wrong for a physically challenged person to try living a normal life.
“For all those who are raising questions about my benchmark disability certificate and sharing false information, I applied for the UPSC examination with a benchmark disability certificate issued by the competent authority. In 2018, I appeared for the personality test and interview after a lot of hard work. The following day, as per procedure I appeared for a medical examination in front of the medical board at AIIMS Delhi. After a thorough investigation, it was certified that I’m a person with a benchmark disability. However, I couldn’t clear the exam in 2018,” he said.
He added that the same procedure was repeated after the UPSC examination in 2019.
“I agree that persons who claim benefits on false information should be punished but at the same time, we should be sensitive towards people who are genuine. Do not directly jump to conclusion without thorough information and even now I’m ready to face any medical board examination,” he added.
https://t.co/u9G9kOcwJX pic.twitter.com/GS4v7vt6rs
— Praful Desai IAS (@d_praful) July 17, 2024
“Coming to a few of my photos where I have seen doing cycling, trekking and other activities, it was all part of our training programme and for building good bonds with our batchmates/ friends. Being a physically challenged person and pushing my physical limits and trying to live a normal life like others is wrong?” he questioned.
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil)
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