On Tuesday (16th July), an official confirmed that trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar had lodged a harassment complaint against Pune district collector Suhas Diwase. According to the official, she has lodged the complaint with Washim police. It is pertinent to note it was the Pune Collector who reported her alleged misuse of power to the Maharashtra government allegedly after she made VIP demands during training. Following those allegations, she was transferred to Washim from Pune where she was posted as a supernumerary assistant collector.
Regarding her complaint, the official said, “Women police personnel visited Khedkar at her residence in Washim on Monday when she lodged a complaint of harassment against Pune district collector Suhas Diwase.”
However, earlier in the day, Khedkar had refused to elaborate on the purpose of why the police personnel were visiting her residence. Speaking to TV news channels, she had said, “I had called female police personnel because I had some work.”
Major developments and allegations in the Puja Khedkar candidature row
Puja Khedkar has been facing multiple allegations and is at the centre of controversy over alleged caste quota misuse and abuse of authority. Earlier, it was reported that discrepancies in her age were noted in her official documents. Her details for the Common Admission Test (CAT) in 2020 and the UPSC civil service exam in 2023 show an age difference of only one year, despite a three-year gap between filing the applications.
Strikingly, UPSC applicants in the general category are allowed up to six attempts before the age of 32 while candidates in the OBC category are limited to nine attempts until the age of 35. It is alleged that Puja Khedkar gave the exam even after exhausting permissible attempts.
Additionally, she also used slightly different names on both applications—Khedkar Puja Deeliprao in 2020 and Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar in 2023.
Furthermore, a doctor’s certificate filed by Khedkar in 2007 for admission to the Kashibai Navle Medical College in Pune stated that she was “medically fit” and did not have any evident disabilities. However, Khedkar, a 2023-batch IAS officer from Maharashtra, claimed to be visually handicapped in her affidavit to the Union Public Service Commission.
It was also revealed that she had submitted a non-creamy layer OBC Certificate to secure admission to MBBS in 2007.
Following several allegations, she was relieved from the District Training Programme of the State Government of Maharashtra on Tuesday. She has been recalled to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie and her training has been put on hold. Additionally, the Pune Traffic Police has seized the Audi car of trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar.
Meanwhile, an FIR was registered against her parents for allegedly threatening a farmer with a pistol.
(With Inputs from ANI)
