Now, Ex-IAS Officer Abhishek Singh Faces Allegations Over Fake Disability Certificate

PUNE:  The controversy surrounding trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar continues, another former IAS officer, Abhishek Singh, finds himself embroiled in a fresh scandal. Known for his penchant for controversy, Singh, a former Uttar Pradesh cadre officer, is now accused of using a fake disability certificate to clear the civil services examination.

Singh, who passed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam in 2011 under the disability category on his first attempt, claimed to suffer from a locomotor disorder, which affects movement. However, recent social media videos showing him dancing and working out have cast doubt on his claims and prompted public scrutiny of the selection process.

Addressing the allegations, Singh dismissed them as a smear campaign, stating, "A gang is running a false propaganda against me since I spoke out against reservation policies."

Singh’s career trajectory reads like a movie script. After passing the UPSC exam in 2011, he was deputed to Delhi in 2015. When his deputation was extended for two years, he went on extended medical leave. In 2020, he was repatriated to his home cadre in Uttar Pradesh, from where he ventured into the glamour world.

During this period, Singh appeared in a thriller short film and played a police officer in Netflix's "Delhi Crime Season 2." Between 2020 and 2022, he was seen in various films, music videos, and celebrity parties, but was notably absent from official duties.

Singh briefly returned to duty but was removed by the Election Commission for posting a photo with a government vehicle on Instagram while serving as an election observer in Gujarat. In February 2023, the Yogi Adityanath government accepted Singh’s voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) application, releasing him from service. Speculation that Singh might contest the Lok Sabha elections from Jaunpur on a BJP ticket did not materialize.

Singh has now expressed a desire to rejoin duty, but the Uttar Pradesh government is reportedly not considering his request.

This incident has reignited the debate over the reservation process for PwD candidates in the UPSC. To qualify under the PwD category, candidates must have a disability of 40% or more. PwD candidates receive certain concessions, such as extra time for each paper, a relaxation of 10 years in the maximum age limit, and up to nine attempts to clear the exam.

As investigations continue, Singh’s future remains uncertain. The case has raised important questions about the integrity of the selection process and the measures in place to prevent misuse of disability reservations.