Puja Khedkar, a probationary IAS official, gained notoriety after being moved from Pune because of suspected power abuse. In her declaration to the Union Public Service Commission, she claimed to be mentally sick and visually challenged. Details concerning her attempts to pass the civil services exam have come to light as a result of the issue.
Khedkar claimed to be mentally and visually challenged in an affidavit submitted to the Union Public Service Commission in order to be granted accommodations during the screening process. She objected to six required medical tests that would have confirmed her disability. If she kept declining to take the test, it’s still unclear how or why she was appointed. Ms Khedkar is an IAS officer from the 2023 batch who is originally from Ahmednagar.
Unverified allegations state that she missed her planned initial test at Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences in April 2022 and then claimed to have tested positive for COVID-19.
She again failed to show up for two visits in the next month, which were in July and August. She didn’t go to her sixth checkup in September, and she didn’t get an MRI to determine the extent of her eyesight loss.
Later, the Commission disputed her appointment, and a tribunal decided against her in February 2023. She did, however, succeed in getting her civil service appointment verified.
Concerns exist with Ms. Khedkar’s assertion of the OBC (Other Backward Classes) designation as well.
Despite receiving a relatively low all-India rank of 841, Ms. Khedkar was able to pass the extremely competitive Civil Services Exam thanks to her fraudulent statements and the concessions that followed.
Following the revelation of her conduct, which included utilising a siren on her own Audi automobile, Ms Khedkar was moved from Pune to Washim. Pune Collector Suhas Divase had sent a letter asking for her reassignment to the Maharashtra government’s Chief Secretary.
The order said, “The IAS officer from the 2023 batch will serve the remaining portion of her probation as a Supernumerary Assistant Collector in Washim district.”
In addition to employing a siren, VIP licence plates, and a sticker with the name “Government of Maharashtra,” Ms. Khedkar was discovered utilising Pune Additional Collector Ajay More’s office when he was away. It is said that she took down his nameplate, relocated his furniture, and even insisted on letterheads.
Junior officers who are on a 24-month probationary period are not eligible for these benefits. It has been said that her father, an administrative officer who retired, pushed for her desires to be fulfilled.
