Puja Khedkar’s IAS training in Maharashtra put on hold amid row over selection
Probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar’s training in Maharashtra was put on hold on Tuesday amid a row over her selection in the civil services exam. Khedkar is under the scanner for allegedly forging disability certificates to clear the Civil Services examination.
The Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie, in a letter said that it has decided to place the District Training Program of Puja Dilip Khedkar on hold and has issued an immediate recall for further necessary action.
According to the official notice from LBSNAA dated July 16, Puja Khedkar, who is currently the Super Numerary Assistant Collector in Washim, Maharashtra, has been relieved from her training duties in Maharashtra.
She has been asked to report back to the Academy as soon as possible, and no later than July 23.
The decision comes days after a controversy erupted over Khedkar’s selection into the civil service. She is facing allegations of misusing the disability and Other Backward Class quota to secure a position in the service.
Last week, the Centre constituted a single-member Committee to verify the candidature of Puja Khedkar.
HOW THE ROW ERUPTED
Puja Khedkar, a 2023-batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, came under media glare after she kicked up a row as she allegedly requested special privileges from the Pune Collector’s office that were not permitted for her designation. The Maharashtra government then transferred her from Pune to Washim.
However, the controversy over allegations of misuse of power led to the uncovering of details about her attempts at the civil services exam. It was revealed that she claimed to be visually impaired and mentally ill in the affidavit submitted to the Union Public Service Commission to avail special concessions during her UPSC selection. Despite her low examination marks, these concessions made it possible for her to clear the exams, and she secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 821.
The authenticity of the certificates submitted by her are under probe.
Puja Khedkar, however, said she will address all the allegations against her before the committee.
“This is a media trial, and people are watching. The truth will eventually come out. According to the Indian Constitution, a person cannot be considered guilty until the charges are proven,” Khedkar said.
Her father, Dilip Khedkar, also defended her and refuted the allegations levelled against her.
“My daughter has not done anything wrong. Is a woman asking for a space to sit wrong? The matter is subjudice and a committee has been appointed to look into it. Let us all wait for the final verdict. All I can say is that someone is deliberately trying to make it an issue,” Dilip Khedkar said.
Notably, Dilip Khedkar, who himself is a retired administrative officer, allegedly pressured the District Collector’s office to fulfill her demands, threatening consequences if they were not met.
Meanwhile, Pune Police on Monday reached the house of Puja Khedkar in connection with a case against her mother for threatening farmers with a pistol. Cops said that the family is on the run and three probe teams have been formed to trace them.