The Union government received at least 1,084 complaints of persons securing government jobs using fraudulent caste certificates between 2010 and 2019, reported The Indian Express on Monday citing data obtained under the Right to Information Act.

At least 92 public servants were dismissed from their positions for using fake caste certificates during the nine years of inquiry, according to the data shared by the Department of Personnel and Training.

The Indian Railways received 349 complaints of fake caste certificates during this period, the most out of the 59 ministries and departments covered in the data.

This was followed by the Department of Posts (259 complaints), Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways (202 complaints) and the Department of Food and Public Distribution (138 complaints).

The Department of Personnel and Training began tracking such complaints in 2010 on the recommendation of the Parliament Committee on the Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, chaired by former Bharatiya Janata Party MP Ratilal Kalidas Varma.

The committee had “strongly recommended” that the department “obtain information from all Ministries/ Departments, PSUs [public sector undertakings], banks, autonomous bodies and States/ Union territories in regard to cases of false caste certificates” so that necessary steps could be taken “to tackle the problem for good”.

These numbers assume significance in light of the Puja Khedkar case.

Khedkar, a trainee officer in the Indian Administrative Service, had her selection revoked by the Union Public Service Commission in July after it was found that she faked her identity to appear for the civil services exam more times than allowed.

The Department of Personnel and Training told The Indian Express in reponse the Right to Information request that it “issued instructions from time to time to all the State and UT governments to ensure timely verification of caste certificate”.

“It is the responsibility of the concerned State or UT Government to issue and verify caste certificate,” the response noted.

The Government's reservation policy for government jobs stipulates the following quotas: 15% for Scheduled Castes, 7.5% for Scheduled Tribes, 27% for Other Backward Classes, 10% for the Economically Weaker Section and 3% for individuals with physical disabilities in each category of employment.

According to a department order from 1993, if a government servant furnishes false information or produces a false certificate to secure their job, they should not be retained in service.