A Delhi court recently heard the anticipatory bail plea of controversial probationary IAS officer Ms. Puja Khedkar. Justice Devender Kumar Jangalan (Additional Sessions Judge) adjourned the hearing shortly after the Public Prosecutor sought more time before the court. Delhi Police counsel informed the sessions court that a Special Public Prosecutor has been appointed to argue the case and will be available on July 31st (today).
Earlier this month, the Delhi Police Crime Branch had registered an FIR against probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar for allegedly cheating the UPSC. The FIR had been registered against Officer Khedkar for availing more than the number of permissible attempts in the civil services examination by forging identity documents.
Officer Khedkar Got ‘Disability Certificate’ Despite Physiotherapist’s Refusal
Recent developments suggest that Ms. Khedkar received a “7 per cent locomotor disability certificate” from Pune’s civic hospital in August 2022, despite the physiotherapy department at the hospital reporting no disability.
On August 23rd, 2022, Ms. Khedkar visited YCM Hospital to obtain a disability certificate, using address proof that was later discovered to be fraudulent and from a fake ration card. Earlier, on July 25th, Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital in Pune conducted an internal investigation and found no misconduct in the issuance of the seven per cent locomotor disability certificate to Puja Khedkar. An investigation by YCM authorities later deduced that the notion of Puja Khedkar’s claims of locomotor disability were NOT valid for any advantages in her bid to become an IAS officer.
Ms. Puja Khedkar, a 2022 batch IAS officer under training, became a subject of intense discourse over the internet and national television after allegations arose that she had lied about her mental and visual condition, through “fraudulently” obtained certificates from the District Civil Hospital in Ahmednagar, to secure an officer’s post despite an unremarkable score in the ultra-competitive qualifying exam. Khedkar was “diagnosed” with Locomotor Disability and a 7% permanent disability concerning her left lower limb. She also obtained a second certificate, which covered both low vision and mental illness (depression).
The conundrum was fueled when it was learned that Khedkar, while going through the selection process for an IAS post, had refused to undergo a mandatory medical test to confirm her disabilities six times in a row! It is pertinent to mention that she secured an All India Rank of 821 under the Physical Disability (PWD-5) category in the 2022 UPSC exams. The Union government established a one-member committee to verify Khedkar’s candidature and instructed it to submit a report within two weeks.
The Union Public Service Commission initiated multiple actions against Khedkar, including filing an FIR with the police and issuing a Show Cause Notice to cancel her candidature for the Civil Services Examination 2022 and to bar her from future examinations and selections.
The entire fiasco unfurled after she made demands for a separate cabin and staff during her Pune posting. She demanded a red-blue beacon light, a VIP number plate, along with a ‘Maharashtra government’ board affixed to her private Audi car and other shenanigans while being posted as the Super Numerary Assistant Collector in Pune.
