The Central government has recommended the Kerala government to take action against Thalassery Sub Collector Asif K Yusuf, as it was found that the Other Backward Caste (OBC) certificate, submitted by the officer, is not valid.
In the letter to Chief Secretary of Kerala, Centre’s Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said that the OBC certificate and the income certificate, issued by the Tahsildar of Kanayanur Taluk office in favour of IAS officer Asif, is “erroneous and incorrect".
The Centre said in its letter that the OBC certificate and the income certificate of the officer have been cancelled. It also stated that Asif's IAS is not confirmed as his vigilance clearance was awaited from the government of Kerala.
The letter sought immediate action against the IAS officer under different sections of Indian Administrative Service (Probation) rules and All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) rules.
There were allegations that the Sub Collector Asif, a 2016 batch IAS officer, had submitted fake income certificates to avail reservations under OBC category.
After clearing the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams, candidates submit a non-creamy certificate to avail the benefits under OBC for allotment of services. As per the Central government rule, to fall under the non-creamy layer of OBC category, the parents of the candidates should not have a gross annual income of Rs 6 lakh or above for three consecutive years.
Ernakulam District Collector S Suhas was directed by the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, to conduct an inquiry into the complaint. In November 2019, he submitted a detailed report to the Chief Secretary, stating that Asif had submitted forged documents and the income certificate to get the benefits under OBC category.
After the inquiry, it was found that the annual gross income of Asif’s parents combined was above Rs 6 lakh.
Action would also be initiated against Kanayanur Tahsildar for issuing the fake certificate, according to Mathrubhumi News.
Asif had secured 215th rank in the 2015 civil services examination. Irrespective of the rank, the OBC certificate helps the candidate seek reallocation to services of higher ranks.