Trouble mounts for trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar; Centre sets up panel to verify claims
More allegations of violations are surfacing against Khedkar, who is under the radar for allegedly manipulating benefits under OBC quota and physical disabilities category to become an IAS officer
Trouble seems to be mounting for Puja Khedkar, a trainee IAS junior officer, who allegedly posed as an OBC non-creamy layer candidate in her UPSC candidature.
Now, according to a report in NDTV, Khedkar has properties worth crores of rupees. It far exceeds the annual income of ₹8 lakh required to qualify as an OBC non-creamy layer candidate in Maharashtra.
Khedkar's "statement of immovable property for the year 2023", updated as of January 1, 2024, revealed that the junior officer owns five plots of land and two apartments across Maharashtra, said the report. These assets valued at ₹22 crore were acquired between 2014 and 2019 and Khedkar earns ₹42 lakh annually from them, said the report.
Under the radar
Khedkar, who is under the radar for allegedly manipulating benefits under the OBC quota and physical disabilities category to secure a position in the Indian administrative service, is a 2023-batch IAS officer who secured an all-India rank (AIR) 841 in the UPSC exam.
She is currently facing serious charges of impropriety and "abuse of power" for allegedly using a red beacon, VIP number plates, and a "Government of Maharashtra" sticker on her Audi sedan.
In fact, the Centre has set up a single-member panel to verify the "candidature claims and other details" she had submitted. The committee will submit its report in two weeks.
Amid the raging controversy, the 24-year-old Khedkar, whose father Dilip Khedkar is a retired administrative officer, has been transferred to Washim.
Old video surfaces
To make matters worse for her, an old video showing Khedkar's mother threatening a group of farmers in Pune with a gun in her hand has surfaced online.
In the two-minute video recorded by one of the locals, Manorama Khedkar wielding a pocket pistol yells at the farmers. She demands that the farmer shows her the land documents since they are in her name. He argues that his name is on the land document and the case is in court, to which, she asks to see the court order and warns the man not to teach her the rules.
Traffic violations
Meanwhile, Khedkar has 21 complaints registered against her by the Pune police for traffic violations.
This includes allegations of reckless driving and non-compliance with traffic rules. The authorities have issued a notice to Puja Khedkar seeking a penalty of ₹ 27,000.
Further, the Navi Mumbai police has alleged that in May, Khedkar had allegedly pressured a deputy police commissioner of Navi Mumbai Vivek Pansare to release a jailed transporter arrested for steel theft by Panvel police.
Although Khedkar had identified herself, Pansare was not sure if it was indeed her. However, the police said that they did not take cognisance of her call, and Uttarwade is still in judicial custody, said reports.
The 2023-batch IAS officer, currently on 24-month probation, is facing serious charges of impropriety and "abuse of power"