"Proving Me Guilty By Media Trial Wrong": Trainee IAS Officer Puja Khedkar

Puja Khedkar, the trainee IAS officer in the eye of a massive controversy over alleged misuse of power and privileges, has said "The media trial proving me guilty is wrong". The 34-year-old faces accusations of using fraudulent means to clear her civil services exam, including allegedly misrepresenting herself under the physical disabilities and non-creamy layer of OBC categories.

"Our Indian Constitution is based on the fact innocent until proven guilty. So, media trial proving me guilty is actually wrong. It is the basic right of everyone. You can say it is alleged but proving me guilty like this is wrong," she said.

Ms Khedkar said she will testify in front of the expert committee and she will "accept the decision of the committee". "Whatever my submission is, I will give it in front of the committee and the truth will come out," she added.

Questions were raised about Ms Khedkar's appointment in the civil services after a Pune RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar alleged that she did not fall under the OBC non-creamy layer as her father had assets worth Rs 40 crore.

"As per the rules, only those come under the OBC non-creme layer category whose parents are under 8 lakh per annum of income, but their income shows that it is 40 crore. Her parents contested the recent Lok Sabha polls and all the property details are there in the affidavit," he said.

She is also facing scrutiny for allegedly abusing her authority and submitting fraudulent disability and caste certificates to qualify for the civil service exam.

The collector of Pune, where 2023-batch IAS officer Khedkar was posted as an assistant collector, raised a complaint with the Chief Secretary of the Maharashtra government. It was alleged she was found using a red beacon and a "Government of Maharashtra" sticker on her private Audi car. She also used Pune Additional Collector Ajay More's office while he was away. She reportedly removed office furniture, besides demanding letterheads and a VIP number plate. She also raised demands for a separate house and car -- perks that are unavailable for junior officers on probation for 24 months.

She was later transferred to Washim district.

“My job here as a probationer is to work and learn and that is what I am doing. I cannot make any comments on that (the probe). Whenever the decision of the committee comes, it will be public and open to scrutiny. But right now I don't have any right to tell you about the investigation going on,” she said while speaking to reporters.

Amid the ongoing row, it has now emerged the probationary IAS officer had submitted a non-creamy layer OBC Certificate to secure admission to MBBS in 2007. 

Arvind Bhore, the Director of Shrimati Kashibai Navale Medical College and General Hospital, said Ms Khedkar secured a seat for the MBBS course in the college through the Association of Management of Unaided Private Medical and Dental Colleges of Maharashtra (AMUPDMC) entrance test and had scored 146 marks out of 200. She was enrolled in the college's first batch in 2007. She had secured the seat through the nomadic tribe-3 category furnishing a non-creamy layer OBC certificate, he alleged.

This was not the only time Ms Khedkar attempted to secure such a medical certificate. In August 2022. she again applied for a disability certificate from Pune but was shot down by doctors who examined her and said "it is not possible".

When she was asked about these medical certificates, she said, "The expert committee has been established to probe these technical things. I will submit my response to the committee. Let the experts decide. Whatever the case is, it will come in front of the public."

A case has also been filed against Puja Khedhkar's parents, Manorma Khedkar and Dilip Khedkar for allegedly threatening farmers with a pistol.