Mumbai: Puja Khedkar, an IAS officer from the Maharashtra cadre of the 2022 batch, allegedly cleared the civil services exam using forged certificates. The trainee officer, who used a red-blue beacon light and VIP number plates on her private Audi car, has recently sparked a controversy on social media. Let us know the whole matter in detail.
Khedkar is accused of allegedly submitting fake disability and Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates to pass the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam. The matter came into discussion when the officer, who was completing her probation, was transferred from Pune to Washim after complaints of misuse of position.
Appeared for exam under OBC and visually impaired categories
An official said that Khedkar appeared for the civil services exam under the OBC and visually impaired categories. She also submitted a mental illness certificate.
In April 2022, she was required to report to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, for verification of her disability certificate. However, she did not comply, citing a Covid infection, the official added.
The official said that Puja Khedkar's father, Dilip Khedkar, a former state government officer, had declared assets worth Rs 40 crore while contesting the recent Lok Sabha election. However, Puja Khedkar appeared for the civil services exam under the OBC category, where the limit for the creamy layer certificate is an annual parental income of Rs 8 lakh.
After joining as a probationary officer in Pune, Khedkar allegedly made several demands, such as requesting a VIP number plate for an Audi car and installing a red beacon on the vehicle.
IAS officer transferred
Khedkar, who was posted in Pune, was transferred to Washim district in central Maharashtra before completing her training due to controversy surrounding her requests for amenities such as a separate cabin and staff.
Puja Khedkar, a 2023-batch IAS officer, has been transferred to Washim to complete the remaining term of her training and she will serve there as a "supernumerary assistant collector" till July 30, 2025, said the official letter.
According to a report submitted by Pune collector Suhas Diwse to the General Administration Department, even before starting duty on June 3, Khedkar repeatedly requested a separate cabin, car, residential quarters, and a peon. She was informed that these facilities were not available to probationary officers, and accommodation would be provided to her.
Diwse's report to the GAD stated that it was inappropriate to allow Khedkar to continue her training in Pune. Additionally, she was accused of removing the nameplate of a senior official at the Pune collector's office after he allowed her to use his ante-chamber as her office.
(With PTI inputs)
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