Trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar recalled to academy; training temporarily suspended

PTC News Desk: Puja Khedkar, an IAS officer on probation, has been returned to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie and her training has been suspended. Puja is being investigated for allegedly abusing her position and its benefits.

This is the first significant action taken against Ms. Khedkar, who was accused of falsifying her disability and OBC credentials in order to enter the civil service. She was originally stationed in Pune and then transferred to Washim. "Further necessary action" has recalled her to the training academy. 

A press announcement from the General Administration Department stated, "You are hereby relieved from the District Training Programme of the State Government of Maharashtra."

Investigations are underway on the legitimacy of many certificates she filed with the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), one of which listed a visual impairment.

Ms. Khedkar had previously filed two certificates to the UPSC under the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) category. The certificates were given by the Ahmednagar District Civil Hospital in 2018 and 2021. Nonetheless, the UPSC ordered her to the All India Institute of Medical Science in Delhi for a medical examination. However, according to many accounts, she missed up to six visits between April and August of 2022.

It has since come to light that she sought in August 2022 for a disability certificate at the Aundh government hospital in Pune; however, following medical examinations, her plea was turned down.

According to Ms. Khedkar, there has been a "media trial" against her, and she was the target of a disinformation effort.

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After she was first accused of requesting benefits and amenities to which she was not entitled as a trainee official, she was relocated from Pune, where she was stationed as an assistant collector, to Washim as a supernumerary assistant collector.

She was allegedly seen driving her private Audi automobile with a "Government of Maharashtra" sticker and a red beacon. While he was abroad, she also used Pune Additional Collector Ajay More's office. In addition to allegedly requesting letterheads and a VIP number plate, she also reportedly removed office furnishings. She also brought up the need for a separate residence and vehicle, which are benefits that younger officers do not receive.

A one-member committee was formed by the Union government last week "to verify the candidature" of Ms. Khedkar, with a report due in two weeks.

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Due to allegations made by Pune RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar that Ms. Khedkar's father possessed assets valued at Rs 40 crore, concerns were raised regarding Ms. Khedkar's appointment to the civil services under the OBC non-creamy layer. An individual belonging to the 'creamy layer' is ineligible for reservation benefits if their family income exceeds Rs 8 lakh annually. 

According to Ms. Khedkar, she will "accept the decision of the committee" and testify before the expert committee. "Whatever my submission is, I will give it in front of the committee and the truth will come out," she stated.

In connection with a criminal case, Pune Police has also been looking for her parents. After a video surfaced of her mother Manorama Khedkar, a local sarpanch, reportedly threatening some people with a gun over a land dispute, a First Information Report was filed against the couple and five other people.

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