Pune: Dilip Khedkar, a retired government officer and father of controversial IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, was suspended twice on bribery and corruption charges while he was employed with the Maharashtra government. Dilip Khedkar was compelled to take early retirement in 2023 from his position as Director of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB).
Dilip Khedkar was suspended in 2018 and 2020
According to reports, Dilip Khedkar faced suspension twice due to allegations of bribery and corruption. He was first suspended in 2018. Subsequently, he was suspended again in February 2020 under the Maharashtra Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, Maharashtra Civil Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, and Maharashtra Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Rules. These actions followed a departmental inquiry into allegations of bribery and other misconduct.
Puja Khedkar made the headline recently after she was accused of using fake disability and OBC certificates to pass the civil services exam, as well as her conduct during her tenure at the Pune collector's office. The controversy surrounding her selection brought the Khedkar family into the spotlight. Khedkar's parents Manorama and Dilip remain untraceable days after police registered an FIR against them over a video purportedly showing Manorama threatening some individuals with a gun following a land dispute in Mulshi tehsil of Pune district. Meanwhile, the wealth accumulated by Dilip Khedkar has also come under scrutiny and garnered public attention.
Complaint seeks open inquiry against Puja Khedkar's father
The Pune Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has received a complaint requesting an open inquiry into allegations of disproportionate assets against Dilip Khedkar. Concurrently, an inquiry by the ACB's Nashik division into these alleged disproportionate assets is already underway. The Pune unit of the ACB has thus sought guidance and directions from the ACB headquarters regarding this matter.
"An open inquiry against Dilip Khedkar is currently underway at the Ahmednagar unit by Nashik ACB. We have now received another complaint seeking an open inquiry. We have recorded the complainant's statement and forwarded the complaint to ACB headquarters along with the evidence," Pune ACB Superintendent of Police Amol Tambe said on Wednesday.
He said directions have been sought from the ACB headquarters to either incorporate the fresh complaint into the ongoing probe or whether to conduct a separate open inquiry.
Police have booked Dilip Khedkar, his wife Manorama Khedkar and five others under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) sections, including 323 (dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment of property).
Also Read: Puja Khedkar summoned by Pune cops after she files harassment case against collector
