Five BMC employees with fake disability certificates detected

According to a medical review conducted up to May 12, five out of 34 employees who underwent examination were found to have less than the required 40% disability. These individuals are among the 135 employees appointed under the disabled quota

MUMBAI: Five employees working under the disabled persons quota in the BMC’s education department have been found ineligible for the post after medical re-examination. The employees, diagnosed with less than 40% disability, do not qualify for the benefits they have been receiving.

Five BMC employees with fake disability certificates detected

Santosh Munde, vice-chairperson of the ‘Sarkar Divyangchya Daari’ campaign in the state government’s disability welfare department, issued a formal letter on May 12 to the BMC commissioner requesting that the services of these people be discontinued immediately. The issue of fake appointments under the disabled quota has been under scrutiny for some time, especially by the Prahar Teachers’ Union.

According to a medical review conducted up to May 12, five out of 34 employees who underwent examination were found to have less than the required 40% disability. These individuals are among the 135 employees appointed under the disabled quota.

Advocate Ajay Tapkir, city coordinator of the Prahar Janshakti Paksha, said the findings were the result of statewide efforts to address the misuse of the disabled persons quota. “We received several complaints from teachers,” he said. “Our organisation followed up across multiple districts and found similar cases.”

In February 2025, the BMC’s education officer had instructed 85 employees from the disabled category to appear for medical verification but most did not turn up. Among those who did, five have now been flagged as ineligible in the latest medical reports.

“This is not just a misuse of policy. It’s unfair to people with genuine disabilities, who rely on these quotas for employment opportunities,” said Vikas Gughe from the Prahar Union. Gughe also demanded that pending verifications be completed without delay and that the deputy education officers be asked to submit comprehensive reports.

Gughe further urged the BMC to not only terminate the services of those found with less than 40% disability but to also recover the salaries paid to them so far. A BMC officer, however, pointed out that the civic body currently has no clear policy on recovering salaries from employees found to have submitted false disability claims, raising questions about accountability in such cases.

Bhushan Gagrani, BMC commissioner stated that the education department is examining this matter.