The father of IAS trainee Puja Khedkar, who has been accused of using fake disability and OBC certificates to pass the civil services exam, defended her on Sunday, asserting that she had not engaged in any illegal activity.
Puja recently became the focus of media attention due to allegations of demanding a separate cabin and staff during her posting in Pune, followed by an abrupt transfer to Washim district. Further accusations emerged that she had secured her IAS position by taking the civil services exam under the Other Backward Class (OBC) and visually impaired categories, using a mental illness certificate.
Her father, Dilip Khedkar, a former Maharashtra government employee who declared property worth Rs 40 crore in his Lok Sabha election affidavit, spoke to a Marathi news channel, claiming that Puja belongs to the non-creamy layer. He explained that even if a person with limited means owns land valued at several crores, the classification as creamy-layer depends on income, not property valuation.
Addressing allegations of Puja's misuse of power, including using a private luxury car with a VIP number plate and red-blue beacon during her tenure at the Pune collector's office, Dilip stated that she had obtained proper permission for everything. He clarified that the car, belonging to a relative, was used for official work due to the unavailability of a government vehicle.
On Sunday, the police confiscated the luxury Audi car.
Dilip Khedkar also defended Puja against allegations of removing a senior official's nameplate at the Pune collector's office to use his ante-chamber as her office. He asserted that she had used the cabin with proper permission and questioned if there were any rules prohibiting a young intern woman IAS officer from having a separate cabin.
Regarding the alleged misuse of disability certificates, Dilip Khedkar explained that the government has benchmarks to determine a person's disability, and his daughter met these criteria. He noted that many disabilities are not visible but can be identified through medical tests, and she had missed some check-ups due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In April 2022, Puja was asked to report to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, for verification of her disability certificate. However, she did not do so, citing a COVID infection, an official previously stated.
Meanwhile, the Centre has established a single-member committee to re-examine the documents submitted by Puja for her civil services exam and subsequent IAS selection.
(With inputs from PTI)
READ MORE | Pune cops to investigate video of IAS probationer Puja Khedkar's mother pointing gun at farmer
READ MORE | Puja Khedkar controversy: Centre forms committee to probe allegations, Pune traffic police issues notice
