Who is trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar? What are the controversies around her? Explained in 5 points

Controversial trainee Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar joined the Washim district administration in Maharashtra on July 11 to complete her training amid demands for an in-depth probe into the circumstances of her recruitment.

Khedkar, who is under fire for seeking special privileges and faking certificates, was transferred from Pune to Washim earlier this week after complaints about her conduct.

Khedkar shot into the limelight after reports emerged about her alleged demands for a separate office, official car and unauthorised use of a beacon on her private car. Pune District Collector Suhas Diwase also sent a report about Khedkar and her father’s ‘objectionable behaviour’ to the state government.

From a family of Bureaucrats

Thirty-two-year-old Puja Khedkar is a 2023-batch IAS officer who secured an all-India rank of 841 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam. She comes from a family of bureaucrats and politicians from Pathardi tehsil in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.

Puja’s father, Diliprao Khedkar, is a retired Maharashtra Pollution Control Board officer. Her paternal grandfather was also a senior bureaucrat. Diliprao Khedkar contested the Lok Sabha elections 2024 as a Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) candidate. Puja’s mother is a sarpanch of Bhalgaon, the family’s village.

Questionable Disability Claim

Puja cracked the UPSC IN 2021. She became part of a legal battle against the UPSC in the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) after she failed to present herself for a medical examination to confirm her disability claim of suffering from ‘blindness and mental illness’. The claim gave her the benefits under the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities category.

The UPSC asked Puja to undergo a medical examination at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMs), New Delhi, in April 2022. She sought a postponement on COVID-19 grounds, and they rescheduled it to August 2022.

The UPSC also asked Puja to undergo a brain MRI to know the cause of vision loss in both her eyes. She submitted an MRI report done at a private facility that supported her claims of disability, which the UPSC rejected, according to reports. The UPSC challenged her selection in the CAT, which ruled against her on February 23, 2023.

However, her MRI certificate was later accepted, confirming her appointment as an IAS officer.

Fake OBC Certificate?

Activists have questioned Puja’s Other Backward Classes (non-creamy layer) status, saying she belongs to a well-to-do family. Pune-based activist Vijay Kumbhar has pointed to disclosures made by her father, Diliprao, in his election affidavit to raise questions about her non-creamy layer status.

Kumbhar said she didn't fall under the OBC non-creamy layer category because her father had assets worth ₹40 crore. "As per the rules, only those come under the OBC non-creme layer category whose parents are under 8 lac per annum of income, but their income shows that it is ₹40 crore. Her parents contested the recent Lok Sabha polls 2024, and all the property details are there in the affidavit," he said.

Misusing Her Authority

Puja joined the Pune District Collectorate for her training on June 3 as an assistant collector.

Puja is accused of misusing her authority. She allegedly availed of facilities not allowed for probationary officers. Puja allegedly used a red-blue beacon and a Maharashtra government board on her private Audi car. She also occupied the chamber of additional collector Ajay More without permission. She reportedly removed office furniture without the officer's consent.

Khedkar's father allegedly pressured the district collector's office to fulfil his daughter's demands.

Centre forms Committee

The Union government on July 11 constituted a one-member Committee to verify the candidature of Puja Khedkar over allegations that she misused the disability and Other Backward Class quota to secure a position in the service.

In a statement, the government said that an additional secretary-rank officer would conduct the probe to verify the candidature claims and other details of the 2023 batch officer of the Maharashtra cadre.