Puja Khedkar ‘Vanishes’ Post-UPSC Training; Delhi and Pune Authorities Investigate, LBSNAA Visit Details Unknown
Pune/Bengaluru, 27th July 2024: Probationary Indian Administrative Services (IAS) Officer Puja Khedkar has been ‘missing’ for several days. Her whereabouts have been unknown since she left her Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) training in Washim. Delhi Police have registered a case against her, but she has not come forward to address the allegations. Pune Police have issued three notices to her without response. UPSC summoned her to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie, but it is unclear if she attended.
Additionally, a report regarding Puja Khedkar’s parents’ divorce has been sent to the Centre. The Centre is reviewing this report, which examines the marital status of Pooja Khedkar’s mother, Manorama Khedkar, and her father, Dilip Khedkar. This review will impact the decision on whether to validate the non-creamy layer certificate Pooja Khedkar submitted to qualify for OBC reservation in her IAS application. She had claimed her parents were divorced to secure this reservation.
However, in an affidavit filed during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Dilip Khedkar listed Manorama Khedkar as his wife. With both Pooja and Dilip Khedkar currently missing, the case remains under scrutiny. Despite the Khedkars’ divorce in 2010, questions persist. The Pune Police have gathered and documented statements from key individuals, and the central government has requested a detailed report on the divorce. There is speculation that Pooja Khedkar may have attempted to misrepresent her income during the UPSC selection process.
