New Delhi:

A Delhi court is likely to pronounce on August 1 its order on the anticipatory bail plea of IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, accused in a case of cheating and forgery.

Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala on Wednesday reserved the order after hearing arguments on the application filed by Khedkar, who claimed through her lawyer that she has an “imminent threat of arrest”.

During the proceeding, the prosecution as well as the counsel appearing for the UPSC opposed the application, claiming she has “cheated the system”.

“This person has abused the law and process of law. The chances of her abusing the law is still there. She is a resourceful person,” the counsel appearing for the UPSC claimed before the court. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Maharashtra government has submitted its report on trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who is in the eye of a storm over alleged misuse of power and claims that she made in her UPSC candidature, to the Centre.

The state government’s General Administration Department, headed by Additional Chief Secretary Nitin Garade, has submitted its report to the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) after a week-long probe. A copy of the report has also been sent to a one-member committee formed by the central government.

Manoj Dwivedi, the additional secretary in the DoPT, has been tasked to complete the investigation against her in two weeks.

The Maharashtra government’s report is a collection of documents obtained from various agencies to test the veracity of various claims made by Ms Khedkar, a 2023-batch IAS officer, before joining the civil services.

Questions have arisen over her claim of Other Backward Classes (OBC) status. She had also claimed several disabilities to avail of concessions in the UPSC selection process but refused to undergo mandatory medical tests to confirm those.

ALSO READ | Puja Khedkar’s Disability Document Has Factory Address, Ration Card Proof

It is alleged that she did not fall under the OBC non-creamy layer as her father Dilip Khedkar, a former civil servant, had assets worth Rs 40 crore.

The controversy began when she was seen using a siren on her private Audi and raising demands for a separate house and car – privileges not available to junior officers.

The Maharashtra government’s report also mentions her indecent behaviour at the Pune Collectorate where she was posted. The report also mentions that she had installed an amber beacon and the state government’s logo on the Audi she used to drive to work and that she had a dispute with a senior official over the use of the car.

ALSO READ | Puja Khedkar’s Mother Faces Attempt To Murder Charge Over Viral Gun Video

It also mentions the time she spent in Pune and that she claimed the cabin of Additional Collector Ajay More and used her personal car for official duties.

Puja Khedkar To Be Dismissed?

Puja Khedkar may be dismissed if she’s found guilty, sources said. She may also face criminal action if the allegations of hiding facts and misrepresentation are found to be true, sources added.

Ms Khedkar had ranked 841 in the all-India exam. In fact, the Union Public Service Commission that recruits top civil servants had challenged her selection, and a tribunal ruled against her in February 2023.

ALSO READ | Puja Khedkar’s Father Was Suspended Twice On Extortion Complaints

She has now been recalled to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie and her training has been put on hold.

“You are hereby relieved from the District Training Programme of the State Government of Maharashtra,” said the General Administration Department of the Maharashtra government.

She has been instructed to “join the academy at the earliest” but not later than July 23.

The academy trains civil servants of the IAS cadre and also conducts the foundation course of Group-A central civil services.

Ms Khedkar had earlier been transferred to Washim from Pune (where she was originally posted) amid the serious allegations.

New Delhi:

The training of probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar has been put on hold amid allegations of misuse of power and privileges. Ms Khedkar has been recalled to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie for “further necessary action”. Ms Khedkar was earlier transferred to Washim from Pune following accusations of manipulating disability and OBC certificates to gain entry into the civil services.

The General Administration Department of the Maharashtra government issued a directive stating, “You are hereby relieved from the District Training Programme of the State Government of Maharashtra.” The directive instructs Ms Khedkar to “join the academy at the earliest” but not later than July 23.

Ms Khedkar, a 2023-batch officer from Ahmednagar, claims to be the victim of a “media trial” alleging that a misinformation campaign has been waged against her.

The authenticity of various certificates submitted by Ms Khedkar to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is currently under investigation. These include certificates indicating visual impairment, which Ms Khedkar submitted under the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) category.

Despite being referred by the UPSC for a medical examination at Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Ms Khedkar reportedly missed six appointments between April and August 2022. In August 2022, she applied for another disability certificate from the Aundh government hospital in Pune, but her application was rejected following medical tests.

Ms Khedkar’s troubles began when she was accused of demanding unauthorised perks and facilities while serving as an assistant collector in Pune. Allegations include using a red beacon and a “Government of Maharashtra” sticker on her private Audi car, occupying the office of Pune Additional Collector Ajay More during his absence, and demanding office furniture, letterheads, a VIP number plate, a separate house, and a car. These perks are typically unavailable to probationary officers who are still in their 24-month probationary period.

Following these allegations, Ms Khedkar was transferred from Pune to Washim as a supernumerary assistant collector. This move was seen as a temporary measure pending further investigation.

An RTI activist from Pune, Vijay Kumbhar, alleged that Ms Khedkar’s father possessed assets worth Rs 40 crore, which would place the family well above the Rs 8 lakh annual income threshold for any reservation benefits.

Ms Khedkar has stated her willingness to testify before the expert committee, expressing confidence that the truth will emerge. “Whatever my submission is, I will give it in front of the committee and the truth will come out,” she said.

The Pune Police are also investigating Ms Khedkar’s parents in a criminal case involving her mother, Manorama Khedkar, a village sarpanch, who was allegedly seen threatening individuals with a gun over a land dispute in a video. An FIR has been filed against the couple and five others in connection with this incident.

Ms Khedkar has lodged a harassment complaint against Pune district collector Suhas Diwase. According to an official, women police personnel visited Ms Khedkar at her residence in Washim, where she filed the complaint.
 

Mumbai:

Puja Khedkar – the on-probation IAS officer under scrutiny after allegedly lying about mental and visual disabilities, and her OBC background – to qualify for the Civil Service, now faces a fresh charge.

Navi Mumbai Police submitted a report to the Maharashtra Home Department stating Ms Khedkar pressured the cops into releasing a family member accused of theft, news agency PTI said.

It is believed Ms Khedkar, on May 18, called a Deputy Commissioner of Police and demanded that he release a man suspected of transporting stolen steel. She insisted the man – identified in some reports as Ishwar Uttarwade – was innocent and that the charges against him were “minor”.

Ms Khedkar named herself in the call with the top cop. However, in the report he said he was unsure if the caller was an imposter or who she claimed to be, i.e., a government official.

Either way, the police did not release Uttarwade, who remains in custody.

Puja Khedkar, a 2023-batch officer, had been posted as an Assistant Collector to Pune district.

She was to begin her duties, as a trainee or junior officer, in June.

READ | “Get It Done Before I Join…”: IAS Officer Puja Khedkar’s Chats

However, details have emerged this week of how she may have deceived authorities about medical conditions and her OBC status, as well as prodding her way into perks not meant for new officers.

These included a siren, or beacon, and a ‘Government of Maharashtra’ sticker for her private vehicle, a luxury Audi sedan. On the question of the red beacon, Pune Police said they will take action.

It has also emerged that Ms Khedkar’s Audi, registered to a private company, has 21 pending traffic violation notices. The cops have issued a notice seeking a penalty payment of Rs 27,000.

She was also found using Additional Collector Ajay More’s office while he was away. She reportedly removed office furniture and even demanded letterheads.

Faced with multiple instances of possible abuse of power, the Pune Collector’s office has transferred Ms Khedkar to Washim, where she will be a Supernumerary Assistant Collector. She has refused to comment on the row or her transfer, saying “government rules” forbid her from making statements.

Ms Khedkar now also faces a probe by the central government.

READ | Centre Starts Probe. Puja Khedkar, IAS Trainee, To Be Fired If Guilty

Sources told NDTV she will be sacked if found guilty of lying and may also face criminal charges.

NDTV Explains | Who is Puja Khedkar, What Is the Controversy?

The investigation will be conducted by Manoj Dwivedi, the Additional Secretary of the Department of Personnel and Training, and a report is to be submitted within two weeks, sources added.

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Mumbai:

Trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, caught in the middle of a massive controversy over claims she made in her UPSC candidature, has properties worth crores, NDTV has found.

According to Ms Khedkar’s “statement of immovable property for the year 2023”, updated as of January 1, 2024, and exclusively accessed by NDTV, the junior officer owns five plots of land and two apartments across Maharashtra. The value of these assets totals a whopping Rs 22 crore.

The disclosure lists her as the owner of two plots of land in Pune district’s Mahalunge worth nearly Rs 16 crore, one in Pune district’s Dhadawali worth Rs 4 crore, and two in Ahmednagar’s Pachunde and Nandur worth Rs 25 lakh and Rs 1 crore respectively. The plots in Pachunde and Nandur were a gift from her mother. In all, she owns over 22 acres of land.

She also has two apartments in Ahmednagar and Pune. The 984-square-foot flat in Ahmednagar’s Savedi is worth Rs 45 lakh and the 724-square-foot apartment in Pune’s Kondhwa is worth Rs 75 lakh.

All the assets were acquired between 2014 and 2019 and Ms Khedkar earns Rs 42 lakh annually from them. Moreover, according to Vijay Kumbhar, an RTI activist from Pune, her father has assets worth Rs 40 crore.

Ms Khedkar posed as an OBC non-creamy layer candidate in her UPSC candidature. In Maharashtra, to qualify as an OBC non-creamy layer candidate, the annual income of the applicant’s parents or the yearly income of the family should not be more than Rs 8 lakh.

Ms Khedkar, who had an all-India rank of 841, also claimed visual and mental disability. However, she did not undergo the mandatory medical tests to corroborate her disability claims.

However, in mounting trouble for the new IAS officer, the Centre has formed a single-member panel to verify the “candidature claims and other details” she had submitted. The committee will submit its report in two weeks.

The 2023-batch IAS officer, currently on 24-month probation, is facing serious charges of impropriety and “abuse of power”. It is alleged that she was using a red-blue beacon, VIP number plates, and a “Government of Maharashtra” sticker on her private vehicle, an Audi sedan.

Amid the escalating row, Ms Khedkar has been transferred to Washim.

“Government rules do not allow me to speak anything on this matter. So sorry, I cannot speak,” said Ms Khedkar told the media this morning.