No fraud, Civils topper tells Hyderabad High Court

Hyderabad: Maintaining that the allegation of fraud in obtaining physical disability certificate for appearing in the civil services examination was baseless, Gopalakrishna Ronanki informed the Hyderabad High Court that the Union Public Service Commission awarded him the third rank after considering the medical report of the designated central standing medical board of the Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital of Delhi on his physical disability.

Mr Ronanki filed a counter affidavit before the High Court stating that before announcing the results, the UPSC referred him to the designated medical board to verify his disability and the board report certified on April 21, 2017 that he is a permanent physically-handicapped person.

Earlier, Murali Krishna, an advocate, had moved a PIL before the High Court alleging that Mr Ronanki, who belonged to the Other Backward Caste, submitted a fake certificate to the UPSC stating he has 45 per cent disability while applying for the civil services exam in 2016.

Mr Ronanki submitted that even after receipt of the report on April 21, the UPSC directed him submit a Physically Handicapped Certificate in the format prescribed by it from the medical board of RIMS at Srikakulam. Th medical board of RIMS also certified that he is a permanent physically-handicapped person on June 21, 2017.

He told the court that he met with an accident on March 28, 2002 and since then he has been suffering from Physical (Locomotor /Orthopedic) Disability. He brought to the notice of the court the disability was 45 per cent in 2002 and it was 59 per cent at present.

Mr Ronanki said that he applied for various posts notified by the statutory authorities as PH candidate from 2006 and availed various concessions being given to such candidates.

While answering the allegation of the petitioner that he did not seek for scribe for writing main examination despite alleged claim of 45 per cent disability, he said “as he can write, though slow, there was no necessity for me to ask for a scribe. As provided in the extant rules, I availed compensatory time of 20 minutes per hour permitted to the candidates with more than 40 per cent Locomotor disability.”