Pune District Collector To Take Legal Action Against IAS Officer Puja Khedkar’s Father

Pune, 12th July 2024: The Maharashtra State General Administration Department (GAD) has instructed Pune district collector Suhas Diwase to take legal action against Dilip Khedkar, father of probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, for his inappropriate conduct at her workplace (collectorate). Dilip Khedkar is a retired state government officer.

In a letter dated July 8, GAD joint secretary S M Mahadik cited a report from Diwase dated June 24, which was addressed to the additional chief secretary (services). The report highlighted issues including Puja Khedkar’s request for privileges not permitted to an IAS probationary officer and her use of an amber light with a ‘Maharashtra govt’ plate on a private vehicle.

The report also detailed incidents on June 12 and 13, when Dilip Khedkar accompanied his daughter to her new position as assistant collector at the Pune collector’s office. Dilip Khedkar allegedly demanded that his daughter be given an office with an attached restroom and criticized officials for not preparing her office adequately before her arrival.

Furthermore, Dilip Khedkar insisted on upgrading the office’s electrical fittings and ordered some officials to remain at work until the upgrades were completed. He also accused the officials of causing unnecessary trouble for his daughter by not fulfilling her requests.

The GAD letter underscored the findings of the June 24 report, labeling Dilip Khedkar’s behavior as ‘objectionable’ and warranting action. “Appropriate legal action should be taken at your level, and a compliance report must be submitted,” the letter stated.

An official from the collectorate indicated that they are currently determining the appropriate legal steps to take in response to the GAD letter.

When approached for comment, Dilip Khedkar said that the facts differ from what is being presented publicly. To suppress these facts, the Pune collector has submitted false reports and is attempting to mislead authorities. His report was leaked to the media which has damaged Puja’s public image and that of the state government.

Puja Khedkar was transferred on Monday to the district collector’s office in Washim in the Vidarbha region, where she assumed her new role on Thursday.

Recently, Dilip Khedkar contested the Lok Sabha elections on a Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) ticket from the Ahmednagar parliamentary seat but was unsuccessful.