Pune:

A civic hospital near Pune, which had issued a seven per cent locomotor disability certificate to IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, has found in its internal probe that the document was as per the rules and there was no wrongdoing in its issuance, a senior official said on Wednesday.

The Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital, run by the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) near Pune city, had issued the certificate to Ms Khedkar in August 2022.

Ms Khedkar faces an allegation of using fraudulent means, including allegedly manipulating the physical disability and Other Backward Classes (OBC) quotas to clear the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination. The authenticity of various certificates submitted by her to the UPSC is being probed.

She applied for disability certification about her left limb knee joint back in 2022. She visited the hospital for medical examinations and was assessed by multiple departments. The certificate, issued on August 24, 2022, stated that she had seven per cent disability in the knee, officials earlier said.

YCM’s dean Dr Rajendra Wable had sought a report from the internal speciality orthopaedic and physiotherapy department of the hospital following a communication from the district collectorate that asked the civic-run facility to conduct an inquiry if there was any wrongdoing in the issuance of the disability certificate to Ms Khedkar. The district authorities also directed it to lodge a police complaint if any wrongdoing was found.

It also ordered that penal action be taken if any racket was found involved in it.

Dr Wable said, “Last week, we received this communication from the Pune collector office, following which we sought a report from the internal speciality orthopaedic and physiotherapy department of the hospital. As per the report submitted by it on Monday, the locomotor disability certificate of seven per cent was issued to Ms Khedkar as per the rules.”

“But the certificate would not be of any help in obtaining any facility either in education or jobs. That certificate is of no significance,” he said.

As per the investigation, no one was found guilty of any wrongdoing, Dr Wable added.

Ms Khedkar had earlier submitted two certificates, provided by the Ahmednagar District Civil Hospital in 2018 and 2021 for visual impairment and mental illness respectively, to the UPSC under the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) category.

The 2023-batch IAS officer, who was a probationary assistant collector at the Pune district collectorate, was transferred to Washim from Pune earlier this month amid allegations that she misrepresented herself under the physical disabilities category.

During her stint in Pune, she allegedly misused power and privileges by demanding perks and facilities she was not entitled for. She is also accused of availing the OBC and non-creamy layer quota in the UPSC.

Following allegations against her, her probation period was put on hold and she was recalled to Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Uttarakhand’s Mussoorie. Last week, UPSC took a series of actions, including registration of a police case, against Ms Khedkar for fraudulently availing attempts in the civil services examination by faking her identity.

The commission has also issued a show-cause notice for cancellation of her candidature of the civil services examination-2022 and debarment from future examinations and selections.

The Centre has directed the Pune police to apprise it of the marital status of Ms Khedkar’s parents amid allegations that she fraudulently availed of the OBC non-creamy layer benefit in the UPSC exam by claiming that they were divorced.

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

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.

Mumbai:

In yet another addition to the series of revelations in the row surrounding trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, questions are now being raised on a disability certificate issued to her by a Pune hospital.  This is among the several disability certificates that have emerged over the last couple of weeks after her selection into civil service came under the scanner.

She had submitted two certificates issued by the Ahmednagar District Civil Hospital in 2018 and 2021 to the UPSC. She had also applied for a disability certificate from Aundh government hospital in Pune in 2022, but the application was rejected after medical tests.

The disability certificate issued by Pune’s Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital is dated August 24, 2022. It mentions Ms Khedkar’s address as “Plot No 53, Dehu Alandi Road, Talawade, Pimpri Chinchwad” in Pune district. But at this location, there is no house, but a factory named Thermoverta Engineering Company. Interestingly, Ms Khedkar’s Audi car, which has been seized after she illegally used a red-blue beacon on it, is registered in the name of this company.

Also, while the government has mandated Aadhaar for getting disability certificates, Ms Khedkar’s certificate mentions that the document she produced was a ration card.

The certificate states that she is “a case of Locomotor Disability” and that the “diagnosis in her case is Old ACL tear with left knee instability”. This means an injury in the Anterior Cruciate Ligament — one of the ligaments that helps stabilise the knee joint.

Ms Khedkar’s certificate mentions extent of disability as 7 per cent.

The Big Question

The disability certificate raises questions on how Ms Khedkar managed to get relaxations during her civil service selection. The 32-year-old had sought relaxation under “person with benchmark disability” category. But UPSC rules identify a “person with benchmark disability” as one with “not less than forty per cent” disability. Ms Khedkar’s certificate mentions the extent of her disability as 7 per cent, much lower than the UPSC threshold.

Earlier, she had skipped multiple appointments in Delhi for medical check-up to verify her disability certificate and then submitted a report from a private facility.

The office of the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Pune, has now asked police to check the authenticity of the certificates submitted by Ms Khedkar. The Centre, too, has started an investigation to verify her candidature.

How It All Began

Puja Khedkar’s troubles started last month when Pune collector Dr Suhas Diwase wrote to Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, flagging many demands by the 2023-batch trainee IAS officer.

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 in the letter 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, she was transferred to Washim as a supernumerary assistant collector.

The allegations of unreasonable demands proved to be a can of worms as her selection for civil service came under the scanner.

Yesterday, authorities at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration put Ms Khedkar’s training on hold and recalled her for “necessary action”.

The Fightback

Ms Khedkar has alleged a media trial against her and said the “truth will come out” after she presents her case before the probe commitee set up by the Centre.

“I will testify before the committee. I think whatever decision the committee will take should be acceptable to all,” she told the media recently. The Constitution, she said, is based on the fact that you are innocent until proven guilty. “So proving me guilty by media trial is wrong on everybody’s part,” the trainee IAS officer said.

She has also filed a complaint of harassment against Pune district collector Suhas Diwase, who had written to the Chief Secretary flagging her alleged demands for perks. This complaint has been forwarded to Pune Police, but an FIR is yet to be registered.