‘I’m not authorised to speak anything on this matter’: IAS probationer Puja Khedkar

WASHIM (Maharashtra): Indian Administrative Service (IAS) probationer Puja Khedkar, who has been at the centre of controversy following multiple allegations against her, has refused to comment on the Union government setting up a panel to probe her candidature.

Khedkar, who was transferred to Washim from Pune following the allegations, said was not authorised to speak on this matter. “I am not authorised to speak anything on this matter. I am not permitted to speak on this matter as per government rule”, she said.

#WATCH | Maharashtra: On centre sets up panel to probe her candidature, IAS probationer Pooja Khedkar says, “I am not authorised to speak on this matter.” pic.twitter.com/aqJCh02sjV

— ANI (@ANI) July 12, 2024

On Thursday, the central government constituted a single-member committee to verify the candidature claims and other details of Khedkar following a controversy over her alleged misuse of power as a civil servant. The Ministry of Personnel announced in a statement, emphasising that the committee is chaired by a senior officer of the rank of Additional Secretary under the Central government and that it will submit its report in two weeks.

“The Central government has constituted a single-member committee, chaired by a senior officer of the rank of Additional Secretary to the Government of India, to verify the candidature claims and other details of IAS Puja Manorma Dilip Khedkar, a candidate of Civil Services Examination 2022 and earlier CSEs. The Committee will submit its report in 2 weeks”, reads the Ministry of Personnel statement.

The Pune Municipal Corporation is also likely to take action against illegal encroachment on the footpath outside Puja Khedekar’s family bungalow and others nearby, with buldozers seen on standby near the bungalow.

Khedkar, a 2023 batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre who secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 841 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam, sparked controversy recently when she used her private Audi car with a red-blue beacon light and VIP number plate. She also demanded facilities that are not available to probationary officers in the IAS.

According to a report submitted by Pune Collector Suhas Diwse to the General Administration Department, Khedkar repeatedly demanded that she be provided with a separate cabin, car, residential quarters and a peon even before joining the duty as a trainee on June 3. However, she has denied the claims.

The IAS trainee was also accused of removing the nameplate of a senior official at the Pune collector’s office when he allowed her to use his ante-chamber as her office.

Khedkar allegedly submitted fake disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates to clear the civil services exam. Reports claimed that she had also submitted a mental illness certificate.

In April 2022, she was asked to report at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, for verification of her disability certificate, but she did not do so, citing Covid infection. (ANI)