Puja Khedkar’s IAS training put on hold amid furore over abuse of power
Maharashtra govt recalls controversial officer Puja Khedkar from probation, amid allegations of abusing power, misrepresentation, and misuse of quotas
The Maharashtra government on Tuesday relieved controversial officer Puja Khedkar from her probationary post, ordering her to report back to the central government’s training centre for bureaucrats in Mussoorie within a week, spelling fresh trouble for a civil servant whose appointment has put the spotlight on ways in which the prestigious Indian Administrative Services (IAS) recruitment process could be gamed.
Khedkar was shunted out from the Pune district to Washim on July 8 following complaints of abuse of power -- she used red-blue beacons on her private Audi sedan with a VIP registration number, and asked for privileged office space, including the room of a colleague.
On Tuesday, she accused the district collector of Pune of harassment during the time she was posted there, even as more signs emerged of her having misrepresented her financial position in order to be successfully recruited.
Khedkar, until Tuesday, was an IAS probationer. In a letter sent by Maharashtra additional chief secretary Nitin Gadre, she was told she has been recalled “for further necessary action” by the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie.
Gadre’s letter cited a communication from LBSNAA, which stated: “LBSNAA has decided to keep your District Training Programme on hold and immediately recall you for further necessary action. Therefore, you are hereby relieved from the District Training Programme of the State Government... You are requested to join the Academy at the earliest but not later than July 23, 2024 under any circumstances.”
Khedkar could not be reached on phone despite repeated attempts.
Hours before the order, she told reporters in Washim: “The government has set up a committee to probe various allegations. Whatever my submissions are, I will put them before the committee. We should wait for the decision of the committee. Every day there are some fake stories coming out and there is lot of misinformation being spread which is causing my defamation.”
Khedkar first came to limelight when her requests for special privileges during her posting in Pune were exposed, followed by indications that she secured her position by claiming to qualify for quotas meant for Other Backward Classes and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) without, in reality, being eligible for them.
A probe was set up as reports emerged of her owning property worth more than ₹22 crore, although she declared an annual income of ₹42 lakh in the financial disclosures submitted to the government before joining the service on January 28, 2023.
The Ahmednagar district administration on Tuesday said Khedkar had declared her mother’s annual income of ₹6.5 lakh while submitting documents with application for a non-creamy layer certificate --- required for caste quotas to weed out wealthy applicants.
Ahmednagar district collector S Salimath has ordered sub divisional officer Patahrdi to find out and keep ready all documents submitted by Khedkar family while applying for a non-creamy layer certificate. The report by the SDPO Pathardi, according to officials aware of the matter, stated that Khedkar submitted her self-declaration document with annual income of ₹6.5 lakh in 2021-22 and that she had only declared the income of her mother and not her father’s.
“There is some ambiguity as Puja Khedekar only declared her mother’s income. She also claimed that her parents were separated but in other documents it seems that they are staying together,” a senior official from the Ahmednagar district administration said, asking not to be named.
The overall probe by the central government also covers the claims she has made about her health condition, especially since she had failed to report to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) despite six summons to verify her claims.
A police case has also been filed against her parents after videos emerged of her mother brandishing a handgun while threatening some people. Both parents are at present absconding.
During the recent Lok Sabha polls, her father, Dilip Khedkar, declared property worth ₹40 crore and an annual income of ₹43 lakh in his election affidavit. Puja Khedkar herself declared immovable property valued at over ₹22 crore and an annual income of ₹42 lakh in her financial disclosure to the Department of Personnel and Training (DOPT). To avail OBC quota benefits, the annual income must not exceed ₹8 lakh under the non-creamy layer category.
Khedkar’s mother Manorama and father are also being probed after a video went viral in which the former is seen threatening farmers using gun.