Trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar’s father Dilip granted interim protection till July 25 in case of threatening farmer

A Pune court granted trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar's father Dilip Khedkar interim protection till July 25 in a case pertaining to the case of threatening a local farmer over a land dispute.

Dilip Khedkar is a co-accused with wife Manorama Khedkar in the case. Pune Rural police arrested Manorama Khedkar on Thursday.

A video surfaced earlier this month, showing Manorama allegedly threatening some people with a gun over a land dispute at Dhadwali village in Pune's Mulshi tehsil in 2023.

Manorama, her husband Dilip and three others were accused of threatening one Pandharinath Pasalkar (65) with a gun over a land dispute at Dhadwali village in Pune's Mulshi tehsil on June 4, 2023.

Following this, the Paud police in Pune rural booked the Khedkar couple and five others under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections, including 307, 144 (unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapon), 147 (rioting) and 506 (criminal intimidation) besides invoking the Arms Act.

The First Information Report was registered after a viral video showed Manorama purportedly threatening some persons with a gun at Dhadwali village in Pune's Mulshi tehsil.

Meanwhile, their daughter Puja Khedkar is under scrutiny for her claims regarding disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates in her Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) candidature, as well as her conduct during her tenure at the Pune collector's office.

Earlier in the day, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) said it registered a criminal case against Puja Khedkar for faking her identity to fraudulently avail of attempts in the civil services examination beyond eligibility, and taken steps to debar her from future selections.

Khedkar, a 2023-batch probationary Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, is accused of misusing power and privileges, by demanding perks and facilities she was not entitled for, during her training in Pune District Collectorate in Maharashtra recently.

(With inpiuts from agencies)