Centre dismisses Puja Khedkar from IAS with immediate effect
Probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar was dismissed for faking identity and misusing OBC and disability quotas, facing criminal charges for cheating.
The Centre on Saturday discharged probationary IAS officer Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar from the Indian Administrative Services with immediate effect, officials aware of the matter said.
Officials said Khedkar was discharged — a term used when a probationary officer is dismissed –– after completion of an enquiry against her, under Rule 12 of the IAS (Probation) Rules, 1954.
Khedkar, a trainee officer of the 2023 batch, was accused of faking her identity to get more attempts in the UPSC examination. She was also accused of wrongly availing benefits under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and disability quotas.
Disparities in her candidature came to light after reports emerged that she was misusing her power during her training in Pune. The Centre on July 11 set up a committee to probe the disparities, which submitted its report on July 24.
Officials said that taking note of the findings of the report, the government proceeded for a summary enquiry. “…it was seen that she was ineligible to be a candidate at the CSE-2022, which was the year of her selection and appointment to the IAS. Therefore, she was ineligible to be recruited to IAS and has been discharged,” said an official privy to the development.
The Maharashtra cadre officer was allotted the IAS based on her result in CSE 2022.
The official, requesting anonymity, noted that Khedkar availed more attempts in the civil services examination (CSE) than the maximum permissible number of nine attempts. “She applied and appeared for the civil service examination between 2012 to 2023,” the official said.
“…t is seen that she availed more attempts than the maximum permissible number of nine attempts in her claimed category (OBC and PwBD), which she had exhausted by attempting the exam between 2012 and 2020,” the official said.
Delhi Police, which has registered a case against Khedkar, said that she appeared for subsequent exams by changing her name in 2021 and by making “incorrect or false statements regarding the number of attempts already availed by her”.
The Delhi police has charged Khedkar under sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) Indian Penal Code; 66D Information Technology Act, and 89 and 91 Rights of Persons with Disability Act, 2016.
While Khedkar was granted interim protection from arrest, the police objected saying her custody was needed to unearth a “deep-rooted conspiracy” she hatched with other people to get benefits.