Controversial IAS probationary officer (PO) and Washim Assistant Collector Puja Khedkar has been taken off field training and ordered to report to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA), Mussoorie, an official said today. 

The move follows a report sent by the Maharashtra government to the LBSNAA on her behaviour on various counts following complaints pertaining to her certificates, documents, medical and other papers, besides making bizarre demands beyond her entitlements as an IAS-PO.

Shelesh Nawal, deputy director, LBSNAA, has asked the state government to relieve the PO from her duties immediately and advise her to report to the Mussoorie academy by July 23.

Questions on Khedkar’s certificates

In the state-level probe, it emerged that Khedkar had secured her visual impairment (2018) and mental illness (2020) certificates from the Ahmednagar Civil Hospital, and later a combined certificate was issued in 2021 for her UPSC exams, said the District Health Officer Dr Sanjay Ghogare.

Khedkar was also alleged of tampering with her caste certificate, making demands beyond her entitlements as a probationary officer, encroaching on the office of a senior government official etc.

RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar also made startling revelations on the Khedkar family’s alleged wealth despite their OBC non-creamy layer status. Khedkar’s own personal affluence and other details also tumbled out and how she allegedly may have secured her position through the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities quota for ‘mental illness and visual impairment’ without appearing for a mandatory medical examination despite six summons.

A one-man committee of a senior IAS officer Manoj Dwivedi, the additional secretary, Department of Personnel & Training, was set up to probe allegations against Khedkar and submit the enquiry report within a fortnight.

Transfer and ‘Audi’ controversy

The Pune police’s Chaturshringi Traffic Department had earlier slapped a notice on Khedkar, currently posted as Assistant Collector in Washim after being transferred from Pune on July 11, to submit the relevant documents of her Audi-A4 white on which several irregularities like affixing ‘Maharashtra Government’ stickers, a beacon light, and several unpaid past traffic ‘challans’ were detected.

Meanwhile, Dilip K Khedkar, a retired senior state government officer and a losing candidate of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi in the Lok Sabha 2024 elections, has stoutly denied all the allegations against his daughter, attributing them to vested interests.

(compiled from syndicated feed)