IAS officer Puja Khedkar in hot water over applying for multiple disability certificates

In August 2022, Khedkar had applied for disability certificates in two hospitals in Pune despite having disability certificates for low vision and mental depression from another district hospital in Ahmednagar.

According to news reports, in August 2022, probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar applied for disability certificates for locomotor disability from both the District Civil Hospital in Aundh and Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital in Pune.

What is shocking is that Khedkar had already obtained disability certificates for low vision in 2018 and for mental depression and low vision in 2021 from Ahmednagar district hospital.

The District Civil Hospital in Aundh in Pune rejected her application due to "double submission," while Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital in Pimpri granted her a 7 per cent locomotor disability certificate based on an old ACL tear.

Multiple disabilities

By 2022, Khedkar was an IRS officer, serving as assistant director with SAI since 2021.

She had been selected for the Indian Revenue Service under the OBC category and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) for low vision.

However, when Khedkar took the UPSC exam again in 2022, she was selected for the IAS under OBC and PwBD (MD) categories, indicating multiple disabilities.

This meant she held three different disability certificates, in addition to the OBC quota with a non-creamy layer certificate, when she sat for the exam.