Kejriwal filed his plea in the High Court on July 1, challenging the Delhi Rouse Avenue Court’s June 26 decision that sent him to CBI custody for three days

In yet another addition to the series of revelations in the row surrounding trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, questions are now being raised on a disability certificate issued to her by a Pune hospital.  This is among the several disability certificates that have emerged over the last couple of weeks after her selection into civil service came under the scanner.

She had submitted two certificates issued by the Ahmednagar District Civil Hospital in 2018 and 2021 to the UPSC. She had also applied for a disability certificate from Aundh government hospital in Pune in 2022, but the application was rejected after medical tests.

The disability certificate issued by Pune’s Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital is dated August 24, 2022. It mentions Ms Khedkar’s address as “Plot No 53, Dehu Alandi Road, Talawade, Pimpri Chinchwad” in Pune district. But at this location, there is no house, but a factory named Thermoverta Engineering Company. Interestingly, Ms Khedkar’s Audi car, which has been seized after she illegally used a red-blue beacon on it, is registered in the name of this company.

Also, while the government has mandated Aadhaar for getting disability certificates, Ms Khedkar’s certificate mentions that the document she produced was a ration card.

The certificate states that she is “a case of Locomotor Disability” and that the “diagnosis in her case is Old ACL tear with left knee instability”. This means an injury in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament — one of the ligaments that helps stabilise the knee joint.

Ms Khedkar’s certificate mentions extent of disability as 7 per cent.

The Big Question

The disability certificate raises questions on how Ms Khedkar managed to get relaxations during her civil service selection. The 32-year-old had sought relaxation under “person with benchmark disability” category. But UPSC rules identify a “person with benchmark disability” as one with “not less than forty per cent” disability. Ms Khedkar’s certificate mentions the extent of her disability as 7 per cent, much lower than the UPSC threshold.

Earlier, she had skipped multiple appointments in Delhi for medical check-up to verify her disability certificate and then submitted a report from a private facility.

The office of the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Pune, has now asked police to check the authenticity of the certificates submitted by Ms Khedkar. The Centre, too, has started an investigation to verify her candidature.

How It All Began

Puja Khedkar’s troubles started last month when Pune collector Dr Suhas Diwase wrote to Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, flagging many demands by the 2023-batch trainee IAS officer.

Ms Khedkar, he said, had been demanding a separate cabin, a car, residential quarters and a peon before she joined work at the collectorate.

The collector pointed out in the letter that she is on a two-year probation and is not entitled to these benefits. Ms Khedkar was also accused of removing the nameplate of a senior official at the collector’s office when he was on leave. Amid the row, she was transferred to Washim as a supernumerary assistant collector.

The allegations of unreasonable demands proved to be a can of worms as her selection for civil service came under the scanner.

Yesterday, authorities at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration put Ms Khedkar’s training on hold and recalled her for “necessary action”.

The Fightback

Ms Khedkar has alleged a media trial against her and said the “truth will come out” after she presents her case before the probe commitee set up by the Centre.

“I will testify before the committee. I think whatever decision the committee will take should be acceptable to all,” she told the media recently. The Constitution, she said, is based on the fact that you are innocent until proven guilty. “So proving me guilty by media trial is wrong on everybody’s part,” the trainee IAS officer said.

She has also filed a complaint of harassment against Pune district collector Suhas Diwase, who had written to the Chief Secretary flagging her alleged demands for perks. This complaint has been forwarded to Pune Police, but an FIR is yet to be registered.

A recruitment drive for airport loaders led to a stampede-like situation at Mumbai airport yesterday. More than 25,000 applicants turned up for a shot at the 2,216 vacancies, and the staff of Air India Airport Services Limited struggled to manage the massive crowd. Air India Airport Services Limited provides ground handling services at major airports in India.

Visuals showed the applicants jostling with each other to reach the form counters. Reports said the applicants had to wait for hours without food and water, and many of them started feeling unwell.

Airport loaders are tasked with loading and unloading luggage on aircraft and operating baggage belts and ramp tractors. Each aircraft needs at least five loaders to handle luggage, cargo and food supplies.

The salary of airport loaders ranges between Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 a month, but most make over Rs 30,000 after overtime allowances. Educational criteria for the job are basic, but the candidate must be physically strong.

Among the aspirants is Prathameshwar from Buldhana district, who has travelled over 400 km for the interview. “I have come to apply for the post of handyman. They are offering a salary of Rs 22,500,” he said. Prathameshwar is a second year BBA student. Asked if he would quit his studies if he gets the job, he replied, “What do we do? There is so much unemployment. I urge the government to create more job opportunities.”

Another aspirant who has BA degree said he does not know much about the work of a handyman, but says he “needs the job”. Another candidate has travelled from Rajasthan’s Alwar to Mumbai. He has an MCom degree, but has applied for a job that has a basic education requirement. “I am preparing for government job exams as well, someone told me that the salary here is good. So I have come.”

The Mumbai incident comes days after a viral video showed hundreds of jobseekers pushing and shoving each other at a walk-in interview at Ankleshwar in Gujarat’s Bharuch district.

Nearly 1,800 aspirants had turned up for a recruitment drive for just 10 posts in a private firm. Such was the rush that a railing on the ramp leading to the office’s entry collapsed under the weight of the jobseekers. Fortunately, the ramp was not very high, and none of the aspirants who lost their balance after the railing collapsed suffered serious injuries.

Latching on to the video, the Congress said it “exposed the BJP’s Gujarat model” and said the ruling party was imposing this model of unemployment across the country.

Local BJP MP Mansukh Vasava blamed the private firm for the incident. “They were filling up only 10 vacancies and should have specified the criteria properly instead of holding an open interview. At some level, the incident occurred because of the company. We are worried about it and steps are being taken to ensure such incidents don’t happen again.”

The Mumbai airport video, too, has prompted Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad to raise the unemployment issue and target the BJP.

The Mumbai North Central MP said that the unemployment situation has become so bad in the past 10 years that youngsters are ready to fight wars for Russia and Israel. “Whenever they hear of jobs, they gather in thousands and there is a fear of stampede,” she said in a Hindi post on X.

Air India is yet to respond to the viral video.