Jaipur: The health department has handed over the investigation of the fake disability certificate scam in Sirohi to the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Rajasthan Police after unearthing fresh evidence in the case.The news was confirmed to TOI Tuesday by principal secretary (Health) Gayatri Rathore. The department said it had found evidence of multiple disability certificates being issued to beneficiaries the same day they were applied for — a red flag considering the process usually takes at least five days. It can take even more time if particular cases call for the formation of medical boards to assess the level of disability of an applicant, officials said. “We randomly checked disability certificates issued between 2019 and 2024 and found at least 15 that were issued on the very day they were applied for, which is not possible,” a senior health official involved in the investigation said. Director (Public Health) Ravi Prakash Sharma said complaints of fake disability certificates first surfaced in Sirohi when Rajesh Kumar was posted as the district’s chief medical health officer (CMHO) between Mar 2019 to Jan 2024. An inquiry committee formed to look into the complaints found 5,177 disability certificates suspicious, and prima facie forged, out of a total of 7,613, Sharma said.Not all of the suspect certificates, however, bear Kumar’s signature, Sharma clarified.The process of obtaining a disability certificate involves several steps, officials explained. People with disabilities must first apply through an online portal and periodically check the status of their request. Once the portal shows the application as successfully submitted, applicants must personally visit the disability section concerned of the hospital they choose at the time of application.That hospital is responsible for verifying the application and making corrections, if required.Applicants are then assigned a specialist doctor or a group of doctors to carry out an assessment of their disability. If necessary, a medical board then reviews the doctor’s report to determine and validate the type and percentage of disability.Based on the medical board’s assessment, the concerned medical authority finally generates the disability certificate.
