A government college assistant professor in Rajasthan has been accused of securing his post with a fake disability certificate. He now claims the discrepancy was the result of a "computer error".
Sawai Singh Gurjar, serving as an English Assistant Professor at a government college in Bharatpur's Bayana, allegedly submitted a certificate declaring himself "deaf and mute" to qualify for the job. Medical examinations later confirmed that he is only hearing impaired.
The case came to light during an investigation by Rajasthan Police's Special Operations Group (SOG), which is scrutinising government employees who obtained jobs using disability certificates. On August 6, the SOG released a list of 24 ineligible candidates allegedly recruited through fraudulent means. Mr Gurjar's name appeared on the list, and he was declared "unfit".
According to the SOG inquiry, Mr Gurjar produced a multiple disability certificate (deaf and mute), but fresh medical tests confirmed he can speak and only suffers from a hearing impairment.
Government reservation categories for "deaf" and "deaf-mute" candidates carry different eligibility rules and quotas.
Speaking to NDTV, Mr Gurjar denied deliberate wrongdoing and claimed the discrepancy was the result of a technical glitch.
He said the Karauli Medical Board had issued him an offline certificate for hearing disability alone, but when uploaded, it mistakenly showed "deaf and mute."
He added that he secured his job under the hearing impairment quota and not under any false category. He said he only realised the error during a BERA (Brainstem Evoked Response Audiometry) test at Jaipur's SMS Hospital, where the audiologist pointed it out.
Mr Gurjar has maintained that he is being unfairly targeted due to a technical lapse in the digital system, arguing that his 2018 online disability certificate was the sole document used in his appointment.
The Rajasthan government has directed an investigation into fraudulent disability certificates used in government recruitment. Officials said if the allegations are upheld, Mr Gurjar could be dismissed from service along with legal action.
This is not the first case of its kind in the state. Several instances have previously been reported in districts including Dausa, where candidates allegedly obtained jobs using fake disability documents.
