Puja Khedkar’s IAS Candidacy Under Scrutiny for Alleged Misuse of OBC Certificate and Forged Disability Claims
Pune: The controversy surrounding probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar has intensified following revelations about her entry into the IAS using an OBC certificate despite her parents’ income allegedly exceeding the non-creamy layer limit. The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has requested a report on unaccounted wealth against her father, Dilip Khedkar, a retired state government official who recently ran for Parliament from Ahmednagar.
ACB Investigations and Allegations
The ACB’s inquiry into Dilip Khedkar’s unaccounted wealth has been ongoing, with a significant portion of the investigation conducted by the Ahmednagar unit and parts by the Pune ACB. The reports from these investigations have been sent to the ACB headquarters in Mumbai. Dilip Khedkar, who owns properties in Pune and Ahmednagar, faces multiple allegations of bribery and corruption from his tenure as a state official. He was suspended twice by the Maharashtra government due to these allegations and was forced into compulsory retirement in 2023.
Puja Khedkar’s IAS Candidacy Under Scrutiny
Puja Khedkar, who secured an All India rank of 821 in the UPSC exams, has been accused of misusing her OBC certificate to gain entry into the IAS. She has also been accused of forging disability certificates to bolster her candidacy. Amidst these allegations, she has been recalled to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie, putting her training on hold.
Legal Actions and Detention
In a related incident, Puja’s mother, Manorama Khedkar, was detained by the Pune Rural Police from a hotel in Mahad. She faces charges under the Arms Act for allegedly threatening farmers with a firearm over a land dispute. This incident, captured in a viral video, has added to the controversies surrounding the Khedkar family.
Political Reactions and Further Investigations
Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar has criticized the administrative setup, lamenting the lack of dialogue with the administration. Meanwhile, a single-member panel appointed by the Central government is re-examining all documents presented by Puja Khedkar for her civil services examination and selection. The Pune Police are also investigating an Audi car used by Puja, with Commissioner Amitesh Kumar confirming actions under the Motor Vehicles Act and the recovery of pending challans on the car. The Khedkar family’s alleged unaccounted wealth and misuse of power continue to be the focus of multiple ongoing investigations. As these investigations progress, further legal and administrative actions are expected to unfold, shedding more light on the extent of the allegations against the Khedkar family.