Ganda Hai Par Dhandha Hai Chapter 1 exposes Maharashtra’s fake disability certificate racket, revealing agents, bribery, systemic failure and its impact on public trust.
Investigation by: Rupesh Kumar Singh
On paper, Maharashtra’s crackdown on fake disability certificates looks uncompromising. Government resolutions, suspension orders, verification drives, and stern warnings under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act all promise zero tolerance. Yet beyond official files and press briefings, a more uncomfortable reality lingers. Forged disability certificates keep circulating, agents operate openly, and bribery quietly undermines the very system meant to protect society’s most vulnerable.
At the center of this unfolding crisis sits the Unique Disability ID (UDID) system. It was designed as a transparent, technology-driven safeguard to ensure benefits reach only those with genuine benchmark disabilities. Instead, it has become the latest battlefield in a larger war between reform and entrenched corruption.
Fake Disability Certificate Scam: 719 Employees, One System Under Siege
In December 2025, the Maharashtra government admitted that 719 government employees were under scrutiny for allegedly using fake or manipulated disability certificates. The revelation sent shockwaves through the bureaucracy. These were not outsiders gaming the system. They were insiders: clerks, teachers, municipal staff, and officials across multiple departments.
The complaints span districts such as Pune, Satara, and Latur, exposing how deeply the problem has spread. A government resolution issued in October mandated all departments to re-verify disability certificates against UDID records within three months. January 8, 2026, was set as the deadline.
The rules are unambiguous. Only individuals with 40 percent or more certified disability are entitled to reservation benefits, from government jobs and promotions to educational seats. Any false claim is punishable under law. And action has followed: suspensions, dismissals, and departmental inquiries have begun.
Yet numbers alone fail to capture the human cost or the moral erosion behind this crisis.
Between Fear and Fatigue: The Other Side of Verification
For thousands of genuinely disabled employees, the verification drive has brought anxiety rather than relief. Many, despite holding valid UDID cards, were summoned again before medical boards. Some were asked to undergo tests unrelated to their documented disabilities. Others traveled long distances to hospitals without ramps, accessible toilets, or basic sensitivity.
The protests that followed were not against scrutiny itself, but against blanket suspicion. Disabled employees argue that the state could have targeted cases with discrepancies instead of subjecting everyone to repeat examinations.
Senior officials, including Disability Welfare Secretary Tukaram Mundhe, have defended the exercise, stating that verification is essential to cleanse the system. Administratively, the argument is sound. Morally, however, the line between vigilance and victimization is becoming thin.
The Unspoken Truth: Agents, Bribes, and Open Markets
Despite the government’s public posture of toughness, ground-level realities tell a different story.
Across Maharashtra, agents continue to operate openly, promising disability certificates in exchange for money. In small clinics, government hospitals, and even outside district offices, these intermediaries are known faces. They offer “guaranteed” paperwork, sometimes without a single medical test.
Even more disturbing are allegations that concerned authorities themselves remain complicit. Bribes are allegedly taken. Files move faster. Medical boards sign off without due diligence. In some cases, networks are so entrenched that individuals continue to run their operations even from inside jail, using proxies and digital coordination.
This is not merely a loophole. It is a parallel economy built on stolen entitlements.
Who Loses When Fraud Wins?
Every fake certificate displaces someone genuine.
A visually impaired graduate loses a job opportunity to someone who paid for paperwork.
A deserving medical aspirant is denied a seat because an agent manipulated records.
A truly disabled employee is questioned, humiliated, and re-examined because others cheated.
The system, instead of protecting the vulnerable, begins to punish them twice: once by denying opportunity, and again by subjecting them to suspicion.
Beyond Employment: The Education Angle
The disability certificate racket does not stop at government jobs. Its shadow stretches into medical admissions, competitive exams, and professional courses.
While recent investigations have clarified that no government officials were involved in a particular NEET-related controversy, document fraud remains a persistent threat. Disability quotas, like caste and EWS reservations, have become targets for manipulation.
There are students who lacked merit, preparation, or eligibility, but had access to agents. And there are agents deeply embedded within hospitals and administrative corridors, who monetize desperation and ambition alike.
A System Fighting Itself
The contradiction is stark. On one side, government circulars speak of transparency, digitization, and strict punishment. On the other, the same system allows bribery to thrive quietly.
This disconnect raises uncomfortable questions:
Why do agents operate without fear?
Why are repeat offenders rarely prosecuted publicly?
Why are whistleblowers absent or silenced?
Until accountability reaches both the beneficiary and the facilitator, reform will remain cosmetic.
READ MORE: Shiva Prasad Reddy Booked for Gang Rape by Mumbai Police; Actress Alleges Exploitation Across Multiple Countries
What Comes Next: This Is Only the Beginning
This cover story is not the conclusion. It is the beginning.
In the coming days, we will bring ground-reported stories that expose:
How agents operate inside and outside government hospitals
How fake certificates are created step by step
How students, unqualified on merit, secured benefits through forged disability claims
How government staff and middlemen collaborated, and who looked the other way
Names, locations, and documented patterns will follow.
Because the real story of disability certificate fraud is not just about numbers or policies. It is about rights stolen, dignity eroded, and trust betrayed.
Conclusion
Maharashtra’s crackdown signals intent. But intent alone is not reform.
Until the ecosystem of agents, bribery, and institutional silence is dismantled, fake disability certificates will continue to surface, regardless of laws, deadlines, or press statements. The challenge ahead is not just administrative; it is ethical.
And the cost of failure will always be paid by those who can least afford it.
