Pune: Central Government Committee Submits Report on IAS Probationer Puja Khedkar’s Candidature
Pune, 26th July 2024: A single-member committee, appointed by the central government to verify the candidature details of IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, has submitted its findings to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). The committee, chaired by an additional secretary-rank officer, was tasked with investigating the claims and allegations against Khedkar, focusing on her disability and OBC status.
The committee, established on July 11, completed its verification and submitted the report to the DoPT secretary on Wednesday. The DoPT team is expected to review the report and recommend appropriate actions based on its findings. The committee’s mandate included a thorough evaluation of all claims made by Khedkar and the legitimacy of the documents supporting her status.
Puja Khedkar, who began her probationary role as an assistant collector in Pune on June 3, was transferred to Washim on July 8. The transfer followed a report by Pune District Collector Suhas Divase to the state chief secretary, highlighting Khedkar’s unreasonable demands for privileges, inappropriate behavior with staff, and misuse of a red and blue beacon on a private Audi car. Additionally, Khedkar had taken over an additional collector’s chamber without authorization.
Subsequently, questions arose regarding Khedkar’s OBC non-creamy layer and disability claims, which she had presented during her UPSC examination process. In response to these allegations, the central government formed the investigative panel based on a report from the Maharashtra government. If found guilty of fraudulent claims, Khedkar faces possible termination from service. The Delhi police’s crime branch has already registered a case of cheating, fraud, and forgery against her, following a complaint from the Union Public Service Commission.
The single-member committee’s report scrutinizes the veracity of Khedkar’s disability and OBC status claims. The investigation extended to how Khedkar obtained the relevant documents and whether these were properly vetted by authorities. Khedkar, who had been recalled to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie, missed the July 23 deadline to report back to the academy.
DoPT officials indicated that necessary actions would be determined after consulting with the social justice ministry and the disability department to verify Khedkar’s claims. The report also noted discrepancies in Khedkar’s economic status, highlighting an affidavit by her father, a recent Lok Sabha candidate, who declared assets worth over ₹40 crores. Additionally, Khedkar had acquired two disability certificates from Ahmednagar civil hospital in 2018 and 2021 and applied for a third from Pune’s YCM hospital in August 2022.
The findings of the committee will now be scrutinized by the DoPT, and further actions will be taken based on the comprehensive evaluation of Khedkar’s credentials and the validity of her claims.
