Puja Khedkar, a trainee IAS officer under investigation for allegedly faking mental and visual disabilities to qualify for the Civil Services, recently contacted the police in Maharashtra’s Washim. On Monday night, three women officers visited Khedkar’s home between 11 pm and 1 am. The meeting was reportedly requested by Khedkar, who claimed to have relevant information on “certain matters”.
“I had called the women police officials to my residence yesterday. They did not come here on their own…A committee has been set up (to verify), let its report come out,” the trainee IAS officer said.
Khedkar was recently transferred from Pune, where she was originally appointed as an Assistant Collector, to Washim, as a Supernumerary Assistant Collector, following allegations that she fraudulently secured an OBC certificate and faked disabilities.
The probationary officer is currently facing investigation by a government-appointed panel regarding the disability allegations, but no criminal case has been filed against her yet. If found guilty, she faces dismissal from service.
While she refused to comment, insisting that “government rules” forbade her from speaking, on Monday, she criticised the “media trial” surrounding her actions.
“Our Indian Constitution is based on the fact innocent until proven guilty. So, media trial proving me guilty is actually wrong. It is the basic right of everyone. You can say it is alleged but proving me guilty like this is wrong,” she said.
Khedkar, a 2023-batch IAS officer from Ahmednagar, has recently been thrust into the limelight following allegations that she lied about her mental and visual disabilities to secure her position, despite an unimpressive score in the highly competitive qualifying exam.
Reports indicate that Khedkar submitted certificates, allegedly obtained fraudulently, from the District Civil Hospital in Ahmednagar.
On Monday, it was revealed that Khedkar had previously attempted, on at least two occasions, to obtain medical disability certificates. While Pune’s Aundh Hospital rejected her request, a facility in Pipri did not. The Pipri hospital diagnosed her with an “old ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear with left knee instability” and classified her condition as a “permanent disability in relation to her left lower limb,” adhering to the seven percent guidelines for assessing the degree of specified disability.
Adding to the controversy, it has come to light that Khedkar may have submitted a questionable certificate while applying to a private medical college in 2007.
Khedkar’s parents are also embroiled in legal issues. Manorama Khedkar, Puja’s mother and a village sarpanch, is facing charges under the Arms Act after a video surfaced showing her brandishing a pistol during an argument. Her father, Dilip Khedkar, a retired state government officer who is suspected of assisting her in securing her position and its associated benefits, is a co-accused in the case.
Before becoming unreachable, Dilip Khedkar defended his daughter, asserting that she had not engaged in any illegal activities and that she belongs to the non-creamy layer of OBCs. According to reservation policies, individuals from families with an annual income exceeding Rs 8 lakh are considered part of the ‘creamy layer’ and are ineligible for reservation benefits.
