Controversies around 2023-batch Maharashtra cadre Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar don't seem to end. After hitting the headlines the entire last week over her demands for a separate cabin and staff which led to her transfer from Pune to Washim, she faced more allegations of securing a position in the IAS by taking the civil services exam under the Other Backward Class (OBC) – with less than Rs 8 lakh annual income – and visually impaired categories and submitting a mental illness certificate.
Puja Khedkar had also reportedly secured admission for MBBS using the OBC non-creamy layer quota. Khedkar took admission for MBBS at Pune's Kashibai Navale Medical College in 2007 under the OBC Nomadic Tribe-3 category, reserved for the Vanjari community to which she belongs.
Puja Khedkar, a 2023-batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, has so far been in news for her demands, misusing benefits under the physical disabilities category, violations on beacon and VIP number using her Audi car, leaked WhatsApp chats showing her asking for special arrangements, 21 challans on her private vehicle and more.
Amid backlash, Puja Khedkar's father defended her on Sunday, stressing that she hadn’t done anything illegal. Her father told a Marathi news channel on Sunday that she indeed belongs to the non-creamy layer.
"Even if a person with limited means owns 4-5 acres of land, the valuation might show that he is worth several crores, he said. “However, the classification as creamy-layer depends on income rather than (property) valuation,” Dilip Khedkar said.
Puja Khedkar's Father Quota Allegations
About the 34-year-old officer’s alleged misuse of power, including the use of a private luxury car with a VIP number plate and red-blue beacon, during her tenure at the Pune collector’s office, Dilip said she had taken permission for everything.
“She used the luxury car for official work because no government vehicle was available. She did that with proper permission from her seniors in the administration. The car belongs to her relative. She did not cheat anyone by putting a beacon on it,” Dilip said.
The police on Sunday confiscated the luxury Audi car.
Allegations Against Puja Khedkar
Puja Khedkar is accused of removing the nameplate of a senior official at the Pune collector’s office when he allowed her to use his ante-chamber as her office.
Puja Khedkar is also accused of misusing benefits under the physical disabilities category and other backward class (OBC) quota to secure a position in the IAS. On this, her father said, “Many disabilities are not visible but are identified through medical tests. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, she missed some check-ups,” he said.
In April 2022, Puja was asked to report at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi for verification of her disability certificate but she did not do so, citing Covid infection, an official had said earlier. The Centre has constituted a single-member committee for re-examining documents submitted by Puja to secure her candidature in the civil services examination and then for IAS selection.
The 2023 batch IAS officer is under probation and currently posted in her home cadre Maharashtra.
Amid Puja Khedkar's controversies, her mother also last week was in the limelight over a purported old video of her going viral, showing her yelling at a man while waving a pistol over an alleged land dispute. Defending Puja’s mother Manorama, Dilip Khedkar said “The media and others are showing only one video clip. The day before that incident, a local aggressively approached her with a stick. In such a situation, should she have stayed silent? She possesses a licence to carry the gun for self-defence”.
