Pune:

Pune court on Monday sent Manorama Khedkar, the mother of IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, to 14 days of judicial custody in the case relating to threatening a farmer.

She allegedly threatened a person with a gun over a land dispute in June last year.

Manorama was arrested on Thursday for allegedly threatening a person with a gun over a land dispute in June last year.

Manorama was arrested from a lodge in Raigad district, where she was hiding, and produced before a judicial magistrate. The prosecution alleged that Manorama, along with her husband and three others, threatened the complainant with a gun and added Section 307, stating that she put a gun to the complainant’s head and was about to pull the trigger.

Earlier, the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) has sealed a company named ThermoVerita linked to Manorama Khedkar, mother of IAS Puja Khedkar located in Pune due to an alleged tax default of Rs 2.77 lakh.

This development comes amidst controversy surrounding probationary IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, who had utilized the company’s address to obtain a disability certificate from YCM Hospital Pimpri Chinchwad.

“The property tax for 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 for Thermoverita India Pvt. Ltd has been pending for the last two years. Additionally, the current year’s outstanding dues are also unpaid,” said Shekhar Singh, Commissioner of PCMC.

“As their dues remained unpaid in 2023, we initially issued notices and subsequently disconnected their water supply as a graded response. Since the dues have been outstanding for the last two years, our next step was to seal the property,” the Comissioner of PCMC added.

He added that the total outstanding amount for the last two years is Rs 1.96 lakh, and including the current year’s dues, the total comes to Rs 2.77 lakh.
 

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

Pune:

Police on her tail, Manorama Khedkar, the mother of trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, used a fake Aadhaar card to get a room at a lodge in Maharashtra’s Raigad district, sources have told NDTV. She had hired a private cab to reach the lodge and was living there with the cab driver, who she introduced as her son, the sources in police added.

Manorama Khedkar was arrested from the lodge this morning in connection with a viral video in which she is seen brandishing a firearm and threatening some villagers, reportedly over a land dispute. She faces multiple charges, including attempt to murder. A Pune court has remanded her in police custody for two days.

Several police teams had been looking for Manorama Khedkar and her husband Dilip Khedkar, a co-accused in the case linked to the viral video. Dilip Khedkar is yet to be arrested.

“Manorama rented a private taxi and reached the hotel. She was staying there with the cab driver and had introduced him as her son,” a highly-placed police source told NDTV. “She had used a fake ID card that identified her as Indubai.”

Police sources have said they tracked her down using GPS and then took her in custody at the lodge. A CCTV camera outside the lodge captured Manorama Khedkar being escorted to a police vehicle before she was brought to Pune and put under arrest.

The video that has put Manorama Khedkar in trouble emerged amid the row surrounding her 34-year-old daughter Puja Khedkar. The 2023-batch trainee IAS officer made headlines a few weeks ago when Pune collector Suhas Diwase wrote to Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, flagging several demands that she was not entitled to during her probation.

This complaint set in motion a chain of events that led to shocking revelations. Questions were raised over how she cleared the tough selection process for UPSC. She was found to have availed of relaxation for physical disability and OBC candidacy, but allegations of her not being eligible for such relaxations surfaced.

Her two-year training has now been put on hold, and her selection into the IAS is being probed by a panel formed by the Centre.

Puja Khedkar’s father Dilip Khedkar has also come under the radar. He is alleged of amassing assets disproportionate to his income. The retired Maharashtra government officer, it was found, was suspended twice on corruption charges after businessmen accused him of extortion. The Pune Anti Corruption Bureau has now launched an investigation against him.

Mumbai:

Manorama Khedkar, trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar’s mother, has been charged with attempt to murder in connection with a video in which she was seen brandishing a firearm and threatening a group of villagers.

Manorama Khedkar, who was on the run for days, was arrested this morning. Police have said she was hiding in a lodge at Mahad in Pune district after police started looking for her in connection with the viral video. The video showed her threatening some villagers, reportedly over a land dispute.

She has been charged under the Arms Act for brandishing her licenced weapon and relevant sections of the new criminal code, Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita. Now, the attempt of murder charge has been added.

“Manorama Khedkar was apprehended from Mahad in Raigad district and she was brought to Pune where, after the completion of formalities, she was placed under arrest,” Pune Rural SP Pankaj Deshmukh has said.

The video featuring Manorama Khedkar emerged amid the row surrounding her 34-year-old daughter. A senior’s complaint against Puja Khedkar for alleged demands of perks she was not entitled to set off in motion a chain of events that led to shocking revelations. Questions were also raised over how she cleared the tough selection process for UPSC. She was found to have availed of relaxation for physical disability and OBC candidacy, but allegations of her not being eligible for such relaxation surfaced.

Her two-year training has now been put on hold, and her selection into the IAS is being probed by a panel formed by the Centre.

Puja Khedkar’s father has also come under the radar after an investigation into his assets began. The retired Maharashtra government officer, it was found, was suspended twice on corruption charges after businessmen accused him of extortion.

Pune:

Manorama Khedkar, the mother of trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, was detained by Pune Police this morning for allegedly possessing an illegal firearm. This incident adds to the mounting troubles faced by the young bureaucrat, who is already embroiled in controversies surrounding her UPSC candidature and allegations of misusing her position.

Manorama was hiding in a lodge near the Raigad Fort in Raigad district when Pune Police took her into custody this morning. According to police sources, Manorama will be arrested once she is brought to Pune. 

The detention stems from a viral video that surfaced online recently, showing her brandishing a pistol while confronting local farmers over a land dispute in Pune district’s Mulshi village. The footage, which has sparked public outrage, shows her in a heated exchange with a farmer, demanding to see land documents allegedly in her name. As tensions escalated, she waved the firearm threateningly before quickly concealing it upon noticing a camera recording the encounter.

After the video went viral, the Pune Police took action, registering a First Information Report (FIR) against her. The FIR also names her husband, Dilip Khedkar, a retired administrative officer, as an accused in the case.

Dilip Khedkar also faces a history of corruption charges, having been suspended twice during his tenure as a government officer. His first suspension occurred in 2018 while serving as the Regional Officer in Kolhapur. During this period, the local sawmill and timber merchants association filed a police complaint against him, alleging that he demanded bribes ranging from Rs 25,000 to Rs 50,000 to restore their power and water supplies. He faced another suspension in 2020 due to similar allegations.

The Khedkar family’s troubles extend beyond this incident. Puja Khedkar, who secured an all-India rank (AIR) of 841 in the UPSC exam as part of the 2023 batch, has faced allegations of making false claims in her UPSC candidature and has been accused of misusing her power after assuming her post.

Allegations against her include misrepresentation as an OBC candidate and unsubstantiated claims of visual and mental disabilities during her UPSC exams. Additionally, accusations of her using a red beacon, VIP number plates, and a government sticker on her private Audi sedan have emerged.

Exclusive documents accessed by NDTV indicate that Puja Khedkar owns five plots of land and two apartments across Maharashtra, valued at an estimated Rs 22 crore, raising further questions about the family’s financial dealings.

Pune:

Manorama Khedkar, mother of IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, was issued a show cause notice by Pune Police on June 13 over the misuse of a licenced gun.

Pune Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar issued a show cause notice to Puja Khedkar’s mother after Manorama Khedkar, the Sarpanch of Bhalgaon village in Ahmednagar, was seen waving a pistol during a heated argument in a viral video.

A show cause notice issued by Kumar to Pooja Khedkar’s mother, Manorama Khedkar, has been pasted, as no one turned up to receive the notice.

The notice states that Manorama Khedkar has to respond as to why her gun licence should not be cancelled. She has been asked to respond within 10 days.

A case has been registered against her under the Arms Act in the Pune rural police jurisdiction on the complaint of a local farmer who alleged that Manorama Khedkar and others had threatened him.

Following a string of controversies, Puja was recently transferred from Pune to Washim district. The Central Government has set up a committee to investigate these allegations.

Earlier on Saturday, Puja Khedkar refused to comment on the centre setting up a panel to probe her candidature.

Puja Khedkar, who was transferred to Washim from Pune following the allegations, said she was not authorised to speak on this matter.

“I am not authorised to say anything on this matter. I am not permitted to speak on this matter as per government rule,” she said.

The controversy surrounding trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar from the 2023 batch in Maharashtra, has intensified with fresh allegations against her and her family.

Puja is under scrutiny for allegedly abusing her authority and submitting fraudulent disability and caste certificates to qualify for the civil services exam.

She was accused of various corruption cases, including unauthorised use of a vehicle equipped with a beacon light and demanding privileges such as a separate office, official vehicle, and staff, which are not typically granted to trainee officers.

On Thursday, the central government constituted a single-member committee to verify the candidature claims and other details of Khedkar following a controversy over her alleged misuse of power as a civil servant.

The Ministry of Personnel announced in a statement, emphasising that the committee is chaired by a senior officer of the rank of Additional Secretary under the Central Government and that it will submit its report in two weeks.

The IAS trainee was also accused of removing the nameplate of a senior official at the Pune collector’s office when he allowed her to use his antechamber as her office.

Khedkar allegedly submitted fake disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates to clear the civil services exam. Reports claimed that she had also submitted a mental illness certificate.

In April 2022, she 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 the COVID infection.

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

Pune:

Pune civic body on Saturday issued a notice to Manorama Khedkar, mother of controversial probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, directing the removal of “unauthorised structures” adjacent to the boundary wall of their bungalow in seven days, officials said.

Police have also registered an FIR against the IAS probationer’s parents Manorama and Dilip Khedkar beside five others, days after a video showing Manorama allegedly threatening some persons with a gun over a land dispute emerged.

The 34-year-old officer is in the eye of a storm for allegedly misusing the disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) quota to secure a position in the IAS.

On Saturday evening, Pune Municipal Corporation officials tried to hand over the notice to Manorama Khedkar at ‘Om Deep’ bungalow, located on Baner Road in the city, but didn’t get any response after ringing the doorbell. Subsequently, officials stuck the notice on the main door of the bungalow.

“We have received a complaint about the structures installed outside your bungalow causing obstacles to the people. Kindly remove the unauthorised structures adjacent to the boundary wall of the bungalow in the next seven days,” the notice stated.

Pune Rural Police have booked Manorama Khedkar and Dilip Khedkar and five others under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), including section 323 (Dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment of property), at Paud police station, an official said.

The two-minute video shows Manorama Khedkar, accompanied by her security guards, engaged in a heated argument with some people with a pistol in her hand in Dhadwali village in Pune’s Mulshi tehsil.

An official said the incident was about a land parcel bought by Dilip Khedkar, a retired Maharashtra government officer. Locals had claimed the Khedkars had encroached on the land of neighbouring farmers.

In another blow to Puja Khedkar, Pune City traffic police issued a notice to a private company on Thursday over the unauthorised use of a beacon light on a private car with the “Maharashtra Government” sign the IAS probationer was found using.

“The luxurious car belongs to a private company. An order was issued against Thermo Verita Engineering Pvt Ltd to produce the car at the nearest police station for further inquiry. In case of default, legal action will be initiated by Pune Police,” a senior officer said on Saturday.

The Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) had issued a notice to a private company, which is the registered owner of the Audi car used by Khedkar.

Notably, the Centre on Thursday constituted a single-member committee for re-examining documents submitted by Puja Khedkar to secure her candidature in the civil services examination and then for selection in service.

A 2023 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, Puja Khedkar is under probation and currently posted in her home cadre Maharashtra. 

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