IAS officer Puja Khedkar accused of ineligibility, power abuse & misconduct

Law enforcement officials accused IAS probationary officer Puja Khedkar of ineligibility, power abuse, and misconduct. IAS refers to Indian Administrative Services which are elite government officers.

Puja has gotten into controversy regarding her appointment and behavior as a probationary officer. Hence, the relevant authorities have set up a single-member committee to look into her claims of candidature and other details.

An additional secretary-level officer will preside over this committee to confirm Punja’s claims and background within the following two weeks.

Puja Khedkar is an IAS officer selected 2023 batch. She has come under fire for allegedly not meeting the requirements to sit for the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission) test under the Persons with Disabilities (PwD) and OBC non-creamy layer categories.

She claimed to be an OBC non-creamy layer candidate in the UPSC test in Maharashtra. An applicant’s family income must not exceed INR 8 lakh rupees per year to become eligible for an OBC non-creamy layer candidate.

However, her wealth and assets include four luxury cars, seven flats, six plots, 110 acres of agricultural land, and 900 grams of gold and diamonds. All this totaled her worth to INR 17 crore.

Moreover, her father’s assets have INR 40 crore rupees worth. All these facts have raised serious concerns among the Indian public. Her father is a retired Maharashtra government official.

Puja also claimed to be mentally and visually disabled. However, she did not take the required medical examination to support her disability claims.

*Puja and her father Deelip Khedkar have assets worth crores which questions her eligibility criteria*

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Following the above suspicions, authorities accused Puja Khedkar of serious misconduct and fraudulent practices to retain her post as an IAS officer.

This controversy started when Puja was on probation and made several demands, which the administration refused to grant her.

She demanded a dedicated staff member, an official car, and a separate cabin. Later, the IAS administration moved her from Pune to Washim district before finishing her training. It also opened an investigation against her.