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.

ALSO READ | Puja Khedkar’s Disability Document Has Factory Address, Ration Card Proof

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.

ALSO READ | Puja Khedkar’s Mother Faces Attempt To Murder Charge Over Viral Gun Video

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.

ALSO READ | Puja Khedkar’s Father Was Suspended Twice On Extortion Complaints

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.

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.

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.