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 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.)

New Delhi:

The explosive allegations against an on-probation Indian Administrative Services officer are a “serious reputational hazard to the service”, Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora said today. 

“The allegations against IAS officer Pooja Khedkar are a serious reputational hazard to the service. Are you in government to serve or due to a sense of entitlement? I urge Maharashtra’s Chief Secretary to conduct a comprehensive and impartial investigation into these allegations without delay,” Mr Deora wrote on X. 

The allegations against #IAS officer Pooja Khedkar are a serious reputational hazard to the service. Are you in government to serve or due to a sense of entitlement?

I urge Maharashtra’s Chief Secretary to conduct a comprehensive & impartial investigation into these allegations…

— Milind Deora | मिलिंद देवरा (@milinddeora) July 11, 2024

“Ensuring justice and preserving public trust in our administrative service is crucial. The UPSC is known for producing high-caliber officers for public service. Those lacking merit and ethics are not fit to hold important public offices,” he added.

A 2023-batch IAS officer, Ms Khedkar faces multiple charges and is under scrutiny for allegedly lying about her OBC status, and visual and mental disabilities to secure perks otherwise not meant for trainee IAS officers. She allegedly used a red beacon – reserved only for VIP government vehicles – and a “Government of Maharashtra” sticker on her private car, an Audi sedan.

Reportedly, she even used Additional Collector Ajay More’s office when he was away, removed office furniture, and even asked for personal letterheads. These facilities are not available to officers during their 24-month probation.

Her father, a retired bureaucrat, had reportedly pushed for her demands to be fulfilled.

After Pune Collector Suhas Divase complained to the Maharashtra Chief Secretary about her, Ms Khedkar was transferred to Washim.

“The 2023 batch IAS officer will serve the remaining period of her probation as Supernumerary Assistant Collector in Washim district,” an official order said.