Activists Demand Probe into IAS Officer Pooja Khedkar’s Appointment Amid Allegations
Reported by Sumit Singh & Tikam Shekhawat
Pune, 10th July 2024: Trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar has come under scrutiny for allegedly bypassing regulations and demanding various government facilities. The controversy has deepened with claims that Khedkar secured her position by submitting a questionable disability certificate.
Khedkar, reportedly driving around with beacon lights in her private Audi car, is accused of manipulating her way into the IAS by presenting a certificate stating she was visually impaired. Despite being summoned for medical examinations at AIIMS, Delhi, six times by the UPSC, Khedkar repeatedly failed to attend.
Khedkar passed the UPSC exam under the Visually Impaired category but also submitted a certificate indicating a mental illness. This certification reportedly provided her with special concessions crucial to her IAS appointment, given her actual exam scores would not have otherwise qualified her.
Timeline of Events:
April 22, 2022: Khedkar was scheduled for a medical examination at AIIMS, Delhi, but she cited COVID-19 as a reason for non-attendance.
May 26-27, 2022: Summoned again at AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital, Khedkar did not appear for the tests.
July 1, 2022: Another examination scheduled at AIIMS was missed by Khedkar.
August 26, 2022: Khedkar agreed to a medical examination at AIIMS but did not attend the MRI test scheduled for September 2.
November 25, 2022: Again, she refused to undergo the MRI test.
Subsequently, Khedkar submitted an MRI report from an unspecified center, which the UPSC contested.
The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) ruled against Khedkar on February 23, 2023, but her appointment was later validated despite these issues, raising questions about potential political interference.
Who is Pooja Khedkar?
A 2023 batch IAS officer, Pooja Khedkar was posted in Pune as a trainee officer in June before being transferred to Washim amid growing controversy. She is the daughter of Dilip Khedkar, a former civil servant and commissioner of the state’s pollution department, who unsuccessfully contested the Lok Sabha elections from Ahmednagar with Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) support. Her mother, Dr. Manorama Khedkar, serves as the Sarpanch of Bhalgaon in Pathardi taluka of Ahmednagar district.
Now, activists are questioning the appointment of Pooja Khedkar to the IAS. “The trainee IAS woman officer who was causing a disturbance at the Pune Collectorate has been transferred to Washim. This is not a punishment but a way of passing the problem elsewhere. It will not address the original issue. Who will investigate the controversial conduct and when? Can a mentally ill person be allowed into administrative service? Her transfer has been shown as being for administrative reasons. What was the problem with stating the real reason? If this is the state of the Indian Administrative Service, it is better not to talk about other services,” tweeted RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar.
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“Pooja Khedkar became an IAS officer from the OBC non-creamy layer category. Her father’s election affidavit shows his income and wealth as Rs 40 crores. How can such income fall into the non-creamy layer? She has admitted to being mentally ill and a person with multiple disabilities; however, she skipped medical examinations several times. How did she qualify for IAS? These are big questions”, Kumbhar further tweeted.
Despite repeated attempts, Pooja Khedkar could not be reached for her comments.
