Pune Trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar once again finds herself embroiled in controversy amidst accusations of providing misleading information to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) during her application process. Khedkar, who secured the 841st rank in the UPSC examination, allegedly took the civil services exam claiming both Other Backward Classes (OBC) non-creamy layer status and visual impairment. Reports indicate that she submitted a false certificate claiming visual impairment to gain exemption during the examination and despite multiple calls from UPSC for medical examinations at prestigious institutions like AIIMS and Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, she failed to appear on several occasions, citing reasons including COVID-19 restrictions. Additionally, she included a certificate of mental illness among her submitted documents.
Moreover, a viral video purportedly featuring Khedkar has surfaced, where she reportedly claims to live separately from her father. Contrarily, her father Dilip Khedkar, a former officer himself and a recent contestant in the Lok Sabha elections from Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar, has not corroborated such statements in his election affidavit.
Further scrutiny reveals discrepancies regarding Khedkar’s categorisation as a non-creamy OBC candidate, despite her father’s reported assets worth Rs 40 crore as per his election filing. This incongruity raises questions about the eligibility criteria under which Khedkar applied for and secured her IAS position. When approached for comment, neither Khedkar nor her representatives offered any response on the allegations raised against her.
IAS officer Pooja Khedkar was recently transferred from Pune to Washim district after she allegedly misused her power as a civil servant. Posted as a probationary officer in Pune, she was found availing facilities that are not given to probation officers. She used the red-blue beacon and a board stating ‘Maharashtra Government’ on her private Audi car. These concerns were formally communicated to the state chief secretary by Pune collector Suhas Diwase, prompting her transfer from Pune to Washim district, where she assumed the role of Assistant Collector to complete her probationary period.
The district collector, in his report, further said it will be inappropriate to continue Pooja’s training in Pune and mentioned this could lead to administrative issues. The report also mentioned that she was offered her own chamber, which she refused to take as there was no attached bathroom. She visited the office with her father Dilip Khedkar.
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