Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, July 19: Putting the controversial trainee probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar in a soup, the Union Public Service Commission on Friday issued her a notice to cancel her candidature after finding that she fraudulently availed attempts beyond the permissible limits to succeed in the Civil Services Examinations in 2022.
The 23-year old probationary officer, who was also being investigated for lying about visual and mental disabilities and faking her identity including changing the names of her parents to clear the civil services entrance exam, was issued the notice on Friday afternoon to show cause why her candidature should not be cancelled on falsification charges.
The UPSC also said that it has registered a criminal case against Ms Khedkar, whose training at Washim collectorate in Maharashtra was put on hold and was recalled at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie earlier this week, besides issuing her the show cause notice.
The Commission stated that it conducted “a detailed and thorough investigation in the misdemeanour of Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, a provisionally recommended candidate of CSE-2022.” “From this investigation, it has been revealed that she fraudulently availed attempts beyond the permissible limit under the Examination Rules by faking her identity by way of changing her name, her father’s & mother’s name, her photograph/ signature, her email ID, mobile number and address,” UPSC said in a statement.
It said it has issued a notice to cancel selection as trainee IAS officer after finding that she “fraudulently availed attempts beyond the permissible limit” and the UPSC had “initiated a series of actions against” the 23-year-old. These include Delhi Police filing charge, which include forgery, under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and IT Act.
The UPSC has also sent a show-cause notice asking Ms Khedkar why her candidature should not be cancelled. Further action will depend on Ms Khedkar’s reply. This could include disbarring her from taking the entrance exam in the future. “… the UPSC stringently adheres to its Constitutional mandate, and conducts all its processes, including all examinations, with the highest possible order of due diligence without any compromise. The commission is committed to ensuring… trust and credibility remains intact.” She could be dismissed from service if any of the charge was proved.
Action against Ms Khedkar came hours after the Maharashtra government submitted a report to the centre, specifically the Department of Personnel and Training. This report is a collection of documents collated from multiple sources to test Puja Khedkar’s many claims, including physical disability and her Other Backward Class (OBC) status. It includes mention of Ms Khedkar’s alleged abuse of power during her first posting.
She had been sent to Pune an Assistant Collector, and later transferred to Washim. This was after news broke she had secured perks, like a siren on her private car, not available to on-probation staff. Once those allegations surfaced, they were followed by others that said she used fake disability certificates to qualify for the IAS despite a very modest all-India rank of 841 in the entrance test.
News also emerged of how she tried to secure those fake certificates, first approaching a hospital in Pune, which turned her down, and then succeeding at another in Pipri, which diagnosed her with an “old ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear with left knee instability.”
On Wednesday Ms Khedkar, who has been largely silent since the row broke, counter-attacked by accusing the Pune Collector, Suhas Divase, of harassment. The complaint was made late night (past 11 pm) at her home in Washim. She had summoned three female police officers to her residence. Mr Divase has said he has not yet received a copy of the complaint but has denied all charges.
Earlier his office had released a report with screenshots of Ms Khedkar’s WhatsApp chats with an unidentified official. In the messages she sought details about perks not available to probationary staff. She had also accused the press of conducting “media trial” against her.
Besides Ms Khedkar, her parents are now also roiled in legal cases of their own.
Manorama Khedkar, her mother, has been arrested and was charged with attempt to murder after an old video of her waving a gun in a man’s face went viral. She has been arrested and is in police custody. Her father Dilip Khedkar faces a probe by Pune’s Anti-Corruption Bureau after a complaint that his assets were disproportionate to his income. A retired state government officer, he had been suspended twice – on corruption charges – when he was working. He is still on the run.
