New Delhi:

Former IAS trainee officer Puja Khedkar on Friday urged the Delhi High Court to disregard seven of her 12 acknowledged attempts to pass the uber-competitive Civil Services entrance exam.

Specifically, Ms Khedkar doubled down on physical disability claims – she has a Maharashtra hospital certificate diagnosing her with an “old ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear with left knee instability” – and asked, therefore, that only attempts in the ‘divyang‘ category be counted.

She has claimed a 47 per cent disability as against the government’s 40 per cent benchmark.

The term ‘divyang‘ is the government’s term for persons with disabilities, although many have rejected the label, arguing it sets them apart from society and demanding, instead, focus on ensuring equal treatment and rights, as well as accessibility to public spaces and services.

In an affidavit filed with the court this morning she asked that her seven attempts as a general category student be disregarded. Should this be accepted, it will reduce the number of confirmed attempts to five (each of which she passed). This is four less than the upper limits for persons with disabilities, and one less than that allowed for general category candidates.

Puja Khedkar made headlines after claims she lied about physical and mental disabilities, and changed her name and surname, as well as forging an OBC certificate, to clear the exam.

READ | “Someone Doubted…”: Doctor On Trainee Officer’s Disability Claim

Ms Khedkar’s violations were exposed in June after it emerged she had secured perks beyond her pay grade, such as a siren and a ‘Government of Maharashtra’ sticker for her private vehicle.

The Delhi High Court is hearing an anticipatory bail plea by Ms Khedkar, who faces criminal charges, including forgery and cheating. On August 1 a city court had rejected her plea.

READ | Former Trainee IAS Puja Khedkar’s Anticipatory Bail Plea Rejected

The lower court dismissed Ms Khedkar’s claims about “imminent threat of arrest”.

Days later she moved the High Court and the police, also asked to submit a fresh response to her plea – were told not to arrest her till a final verdict. That protection is in place till Thursday.

The police have sought dismissal of her plea on grounds that any relief will hinder its investigation into a “deep-rooted conspiracy”. The cops also argued that giving Ms Khedkar bail could damage public perception of the integrity of the civil services examination and the UPSC.

The UPSC, in turn, has told the Delhi High Court Ms Khedkar committed a “fraud”.

Meanwhile, Ms Khedkar has also rejected a claim by the UPSC – which is the government body that conducts the exam – that she changed her name and surname for one of the 12 attempts, in an attempt to circumvent rules limiting chances per candidate, depending on certain factors.

READ | “Changed Her Name…”: UPSC On How Puja Khedkar Cheated

She claimed only her middle name had been altered and argued “therefore, there is no truth in the allegation that there has been a major change in my name”. “UPSC verified my identity through biometric data… did not find my documents (to be) fake or incorrect…” she argued.

READ | Puja Khedkar Claims UPSC Doesn’t Have Power To Disqualify Her

She has also claimed the UPSC, which has revoked her selection – lacks the authority to do so since she had already been selected and appointed as a probationary officer. Only the union government, specifically the Department of Personnel and Training, can take action, she said.

Last month the UPSC said Ms Khedkar had changed her name, and that of her parents, to secure another crack at the exam. The central body said she had been served a notice for “fraudulently availing attempts, beyond permissible limit… by faking her identity”.

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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.)

Pune:

Dilip Khedkar, father of controversial probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, was on Friday granted anticipatory bail by a sessions court in Pune in a case pertaining to farmers being threatened with a gun in a land dispute.

Manorama Khedkar, the probationary IAS officer’s mother, has been arrested in the case, which was registered after a video went viral showing her waving gun while engaged in an argument.

Dilip and Manorama were booked along with five others by Paud police under Indian Penal Code sections 307 (attempt to murder), 144 (unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapon), 147 (rioting) and 506 (criminal intimidation) as well as provisions of the Arms Act.

Advocate Sudhir Shah said the the court, in its order, stated the charge of attempt to murder was levelled against Manorama Khedkar and not Dilip Khedkar.

The offences against Dilip Khedkar are bailable in nature, he said.

Additional sessions judge A N Mare allowed the bail application with conditions that Dilip Khedkar shall not contact witnesses in the case, would not try to influence them and would cooperate with the investigating agency, advocate Mr Shah said.

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

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:

The parents of trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who faces allegations of using fake certificates to claim relaxation in the civil service selection process, cannot be reached.

Manorama Khedkar, Ms Khedkar’s mother and sarpanch of a Maharashtra village, is facing an Arms Act case after a video showed her brandishing a pistol during an argument. Her husband and Puja Khedkar’s father Dilip Khedkar, who is a retired Maharashtra government officer, is a co-accused in the case.

When police visited their home in connection with the probe, they did not find the couple. Three teams have now been formed to track them down. The teams are looking for them in Mumbai, Pune and Ahmednagar. Police said they have not been cooperating in the probe.

The video featuring Manorama Khedkar surfaced amid the row over her daughter’s misuse of power and alleged irregularities in her selection for civil service. The video showed Manorama Khedkar, sarpanch of Bhalgaon village, threatening some people with the gun, reportedly over a land dispute. After the video went viral, a case was registered and Manorama Khedkar asked why she was misusing the licensed firearm.

To add to Khedkars’ troubles, the Pune civic body has issued a notice to Manorama Khedkar, asking her to remove “unauthorised structures” next to their bungalow’s boundary wall within a week.

How It All Began

On June 24, Pune collector Dr Suhas Diwase wrote to Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik about the many demands of Puja Khedkar, a trainee IAS officer of the 2023 batch. Ms Khedkar, he said, had been demanding a separate cabin, a car, residential quarters and a peon before she joined work at the collectorate. The collector pointed out that she is on a two-year probation and is not entitled to these benefits. Ms Khedkar was also accused of removing the nameplate of a senior official at the collector’s office when he was on leave. Amid the row, Ms Khedkar was transferred to Washim as a supernumerary assistant collector. On the day she took charge, she told the media that she is not authorised to comment on the allegations against her.

Tip Of Iceberg

The Pune Collector’s letter and the transfer started a series of big revelations about the young trainee IAS officer. The trainee officer, it emerged, had been using a red-blue beacon on her private Audi car. She was also accused of misusing the UPSC’s relaxations for candidates with disabilities, and from the OBC category. It also came to the fore that the UPSC had challenged her appointment before the Central Administrative Tribunal and her selected was suspended. However, she was later granted appointment under the OBC and Multiple Disability categories. Questions are now also being raised on why the UPSC made a U-turn on its earlier stand. The Centre has now formed a single-member committee to probe the matter.

Father’s Defence

Before he became unreachable, Puja Khedkar’s father Dilip told a TV channel that she had done nothing illegal. He stressed that Puja belongs to the non-creamy layer of OBC. A person with a family income of more than Rs 8 lakh per annum is considered to be from the creamy layer and is not eligible for reservation benefits.

Even if a person with limited means owns 4-5 acres of land, the valuation might show he is worth several crores, Dilip Khedkar said. “The classification as creamy-layer depends on income rather than (property) valuation,” he added.

Responding to the allegations that the 34-year-old trainee officer used a private luxury car with a VIP number plate and red-blue beacon, he said she had taken permission. “She used the luxury car for official work because no government vehicle was available. She did that with proper permission from her seniors in the administration,” he said.

Mumbai:

The father of controversial probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, accused of using fake disability and OBC certificates to clear the civil services exam, defended her on Sunday, stressing that she hadn’t done anything illegal.

Puja recently came under intense media glare after she kicked up a controversy with her alleged demands for a separate cabin and staff during her posting in Pune and her abrupt transfer to Washim district.

She then faced more allegations of securing a position in the IAS by taking the civil services exam under the Other Backward Class (OBC) – with less than Rs 8 lakh annual income – and visually impaired categories and submitting a mental illness certificate.

Her father and former Maharashtra government employee Dilip Khedkar, who contested the Lok Sabha elections and had declared property worth Rs 40 crore in his poll affidavit, told a Marathi news channel on Sunday that she indeed belongs to the non-creamy layer.

Even if a person with limited means owns 4-5 acres of land, the valuation might show that he is worth several crores, he said. “However, the classification as creamy-layer depends on income rather than (property) valuation,” Dilip said. About the 34-year-old officer’s alleged misuse of power, including the use of a private luxury car with a VIP number plate and red-blue beacon, during her tenure at the Pune collector’s office, Dilip said she had taken permission for everything.

“She used the luxury car for official work because no government vehicle was available. She did that with proper permission from her seniors in the administration. The car belongs to her relative. She did not cheat anyone by putting a beacon on it,” Dilip said.

The police on Sunday confiscated the luxury car of Audi.

Among the allegations against Puja is that she removed the nameplate of a senior official at the Pune collector’s office when he allowed her to use his ante-chamber as her office.

“She used the cabin with the proper permission from her senior. Is it anywhere written that a young intern woman IAS should not be given a separate cabin? If it is written, then I will make her resign from her job,” Dilip said.

About the allegations of misuse of disability certificates, Dilip said the government establishes a benchmark to determine a person’s disability, and his daughter meets the criteria.

“Many disabilities are not visible but are identified through medical tests. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she missed some check-ups,” he said.

In April 2022, Puja was asked to report at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi for verification of her disability certificate but she did not do so, citing COVID infection, an official had said earlier.

The Centre has constituted a single-member committee for re-examining documents submitted by Puja to secure her candidature in the civil services examination and then for IAS selection.

The 2023 batch IAS officer is under probation and currently posted in her home cadre Maharashtra.

Dilip also defended Puja’s mother Manorama who was seen in an old video allegedly threatening some persons with a gun over a land dispute. Police have registered a case against Dilip and Manorama over the matter.

“The media and others are showing only one video clip. The day before that incident, a local aggressively approached her with a stick. In such a situation, should she have stayed silent? She possesses a licence to carry the gun for self-defence,” Dilip said.

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