The Maharashtra authorities on Tuesday relieved controversial officer Puja Khedkar from her probationary put up, ordering her to report again to the central authorities’s coaching centre for bureaucrats in Mussoorie inside per week, spelling recent bother for a civil servant whose appointment has put the highlight on methods through which the celebrated Indian Administrative Companies (IAS) recruitment course of might be gamed.
Khedkar was shunted out from the Pune district to Washim on July 8 following complaints of abuse of energy — she used red-blue beacons on her personal Audi sedan with a VIP registration quantity, and requested for privileged workplace area, together with the room of a colleague.
On Tuesday, she accused the district collector of Pune of harassment through the time she was posted there, whilst extra indicators emerged of her having misrepresented her monetary place with a view to be efficiently recruited.
Khedkar, till Tuesday, was an IAS probationer. In a letter despatched by Maharashtra further chief secretary Nitin Gadre, she was informed she has been recalled “for additional mandatory motion” by the Lal Bahadur Shastri Nationwide Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie.
Gadre’s letter cited a communication from LBSNAA, which acknowledged: “LBSNAA has determined to maintain your District Coaching Programme on maintain and instantly recall you for additional mandatory motion. Subsequently, you’re hereby relieved from the District Coaching Programme of the State Authorities… You might be requested to hitch the Academy on the earliest however not later than July 23, 2024 beneath any circumstances.”
Khedkar couldn’t be reached on telephone regardless of repeated makes an attempt.
Hours earlier than the order, she informed reporters in Washim: “The federal government has arrange a committee to probe numerous allegations. No matter my submissions are, I’ll put them earlier than the committee. We should always watch for the choice of the committee. Daily there are some pretend tales popping out and there’s lot of misinformation being unfold which is inflicting my defamation.”
Khedkar first got here to limelight when her requests for particular privileges throughout her posting in Pune had been uncovered, adopted by indications that she secured her place by claiming to qualify for quotas meant for Different Backward Lessons and Individuals with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) with out, in actuality, being eligible for them.
A probe was arrange as studies emerged of her proudly owning property value greater than ₹22 crore, though she declared an annual revenue of ₹42 lakh within the monetary disclosures submitted to the federal government earlier than becoming a member of the service on January 28, 2023.
The Ahmednagar district administration on Tuesday stated Khedkar had declared her mom’s annual revenue of ₹6.5 lakh whereas submitting paperwork with utility for a non-creamy layer certificates — required for caste quotas to weed out rich candidates.
Ahmednagar district collector S Salimath has ordered sub divisional officer Patahrdi to seek out out and preserve prepared all paperwork submitted by Khedkar household whereas making use of for a non-creamy layer certificates. The report by the SDPO Pathardi, in keeping with officers conscious of the matter, acknowledged that Khedkar submitted her self-declaration doc with annual revenue of ₹6.5 lakh in 2021-22 and that she had solely declared the revenue of her mom and never her father’s.
“There’s some ambiguity as Puja Khedekar solely declared her mom’s revenue. She additionally claimed that her mother and father had been separated however in different paperwork evidently they’re staying collectively,” a senior official from the Ahmednagar district administration stated, asking to not be named.
The general probe by the central authorities additionally covers the claims she has made about her well being situation, particularly since she had didn’t report back to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) regardless of six summons to confirm her claims.
A police case has additionally been filed towards her mother and father after movies emerged of her mom brandishing a handgun whereas threatening some folks. Each mother and father are at current absconding.
Through the latest Lok Sabha polls, her father, Dilip Khedkar, declared property value ₹40 crore and an annual revenue of ₹43 lakh in his election affidavit. Puja Khedkar herself declared immovable property valued at over ₹22 crore and an annual revenue of ₹42 lakh in her monetary disclosure to the Division of Personnel and Coaching (DOPT). To avail OBC quota advantages, the annual revenue should not exceed ₹8 lakh beneath the non-creamy layer class.
Khedkar’s mom Manorama and father are additionally being probed after a video went viral through which the previous is seen threatening farmers utilizing gun.