After Puja Khedkar, Telangana IAS officer under scanner for allegedly misusing OH quota
18 July 2024 7:25 AM GMT
IAS Praful Desai on a horse (Photo: X)
Hyderabad: With the controversy of IAS probationary Puja Khedkar still fresh, another incident of an IAS officer serving as Additional Collector in Telangana has come under scanner for allegedly misusing orthopedically handicapped quota to clear the coveted UPSC examination.
The allegations started taking shape after pictures of the IAS officer playing tennis, rafting, cycling and horse riding went viral on social media.
An 'X' user (formerly Twitter), 'Sakshi' posted pictures of the officer and wrote, "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. 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."
Stating that many hardworking students keep their dreams alive through dedication and hard work, the user questioned, "Please give them an answer sir!"
The civil servant identified as Praful Desai, had secured AIR 532 in UPSC Civil service exam held in 2019 under EWS and PH category.
However, the officer had denied the allegations and termed them "false information." Responding to a post on 'X', Praful Desai issued a detailed clarification.
In his statement, Desai clarified that he applied for the UPSC exam with a benchmark disability certificate issued by competent authority.
Responding to his photos that are now viral, he said "It was all part of our training programme and for building good bonds with batchmates." Being a physically challenged person and pushing my limits and trying to live a normal life like others is wrong? he questioned.
Stating that he failed to clear the exam in 2018 despite having a benchmark disability certificate, Desai affirmed that he submitted his report of examination by the medical board of AIIMS Delhi to DOPT and UPSC.
While agreeing that persons claiming benefits on false information should be punished, he urged netizens to be empathetic and sensitive towards genuine people before jumping to conclusions.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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