According to an official on Tuesday, Puja Khedkar, a probationary IAS officer who is suspected of lying about having physical infirmities, has filed medical certifications. Pune police will look into the validity of these documents.
Khedkar, an officer from the 2023 batch who is presently stationed in the Washim district, has filed several medical certifications with the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) under the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) clause, one of which shows a visual impairment.
The 34-year-old Maharashtra cadre officer is accused of squandering her position of authority and privilege when posted in Pune, as well as of adopting dishonest methods to pass the civil services test. She is also accused of lying about having a physical disability and of being an OBC.
In order to confirm the authenticity of the certificates that Khedkar supplied, the Office of the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities corresponded with the district collectorate and the Pune police.
“We have received a letter from the Office of the Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities,” a senior police officer stated. They have requested that we verify the legitimacy of the certifications Puja Khedkar supplied. We will confirm the information on these certificates, including where they came from, whose physician or hospitals issued them, and a scan of the document.”
Additionally, it has come to light that the contentious young IAS official applied for admission to a private medical institution in 2007 and provided a fitness certificate.
A one-member committee was formed by the Centre last week “to verify the candidature” of Khedkar, with a report due in two weeks.
The government said that an extra secretary-rank officer would carry out the investigation to confirm the IAS official’s claims of candidacy and other information.
On Monday, Khedkar avoided answering questions about the continuing investigation into her and said that the truth will ultimately come to light.
In connection with a different criminal investigation, the Pune police have also been looking for her parents.
After a video of Puja Khedkar’s mother Manorama Khedkar, a village sarpanch, reportedly threatening some people with a pistol over a property dispute surfaced, a FIR was filed against the couple and five other people.
