Trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar is in the eye of a storm over alleged misuse of power
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
