Puja Khedkar, a probationary IAS officer under scrutiny for alleged misuse of power and privileges, has been recalled to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie. Her training has been put on hold. This marks the first major action against Ms. Khedkar, who had been transferred to Washim from Pune (her original posting) amid allegations of manipulating disability and OBC certificates to enter the civil services. She has been recalled to the training academy for “further necessary action.”
“You are hereby relieved from the District Training Programme of the State Government of Maharashtra,” stated a release from the General Administration Department. Ms. Khedkar has been instructed to “join the academy at the earliest” but no later than July 23.
The academy trains IAS cadre civil servants and conducts the foundation course for Group-A central civil services.
The authenticity of various certificates submitted by Ms. Khedkar to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), including one indicating visual impairment, is being investigated.
Ms. Khedkar had previously submitted two certificates from the Ahmednagar District Civil Hospital in 2018 and 2021 to the UPSC under the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) category. However, the UPSC sent her for a medical check-up at Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), which she skipped six times between April and August 2022, according to multiple reports.
It has now emerged that she applied for a disability certificate from the Aundh government hospital in Pune in August 2022. After medical tests, her application was rejected.
The 2023-batch officer from Ahmednagar has alleged a “media trial” against her and claimed she is the victim of a misinformation campaign.
Ms. Khedkar was transferred from Pune, where she was posted as an assistant collector, to Washim as a supernumerary assistant collector after she was first accused of demanding perks and facilities she was not entitled to as a trainee official.
Allegations included her use of a red beacon and a “Government of Maharashtra” sticker on her private Audi car. She also reportedly used Pune Additional Collector Ajay More’s office while he was away, removed office furniture, and demanded letterheads and a VIP number plate. Additionally, she requested a separate house and car—perks unavailable to junior officers on probation for 24 months.
Last week, the Union government set up a one-member committee “to verify the candidature” of Ms. Khedkar and submit a report within two weeks.
Questions have been raised about Ms. Khedkar’s appointment in the civil services under the OBC non-creamy layer category after Pune RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar alleged that her father had assets worth Rs. 40 crore. According to the rules, a person with a family income over Rs. 8 lakh per annum belongs to the ‘creamy layer’ and is not eligible for reservation benefits.
Ms. Khedkar has stated she will testify before the expert committee and will “accept the decision of the committee.” “Whatever my submission is, I will give it in front of the committee, and the truth will come out,” she added.
Pune Police are also searching for her parents in a criminal case. A First Information Report (FIR) was registered against the couple and five others after a video showed her mother, Manorama Khedkar, a village sarpanch, allegedly threatening some persons with a gun over a land dispute.