Amidst controversy over alleged caste quota misuse and abuse of authority by the 34-year-old trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, yet another shocking revelation has been made. It has emerged that there was a discrepancy in Khedkar’s age on official documents.
Khedkar’s 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. Puja Khedkar also used slightly different names on both applications—Khedkar Puja Deeliprao in 2020 and Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar in 2023.
This is a crucial revelation given the fact that 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 being alleged that Puja Khedkar gave the exam even after exhausting permissible attempts.
Simply put, Khedkar sat for the UPSC examination in 2020-21 under the name Khedkar Puja Diliprao. Then, in 2021-22, she apparently changed her name and gave the exam. According to the records cited above, she changed her name to Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar and took the exam twice, despite having exhausted her permitted number of attempts.
Puja Khedkar was declared “medically fit” in a 2007 certificate
In addition to this, a doctor’s certificate filed by Khedkar in 2007 for admission to the Kashibai Navle Medical College in Pune has come to light. This certificate stated that she was “medically fit” and did not have any evident disabilities.
“She has not given any personal history of any disease incapacitating her to undergo the professional course. Also, on clinical examination, it has been found that she is medically fit to undergo the course, Khedkar’s fitness certificate reads.
“She took admission in 2007… She got admission through CET, where she gave some certificates of reservation… She had submitted the caste certificate, caste validity and non-creamy layer certificate… She also submitted the certificate of medical fitness which does not mention any disability there…,” Arvind Bhore, the Director of Shrimati Kashibai Navale Medical College and General Hospital said.
#WATCH | Pune, Maharashtra: On Trainee IAS Officer Puja Khedkar, Shrimati Kashibai Navale Medical College and General Hospital, Director Arvind Bhore says, "She took admission in 2007… She got admission through CET, where she gave some certificates of reservation… She had… pic.twitter.com/GP7wyhCGP0
— ANI (@ANI) July 15, 2024
Meanwhile, Dr Rajendra Wable, Dean of YCM Hospital, from where IAS officer Puja Khedkar acquired her Persons with Benchmark Disabilities, on Tuesday said that Puja Khedkar has a 7% locomotor disability. “Puja Khedkar applied in the month of August 2022 for disability certification regarding her left limb knee joint. After the due application online, she came here for examination purposes. She was assessed by our multiple departments. In the end, it was found that she has a 7% locomotor disability. This was issued on August 21,” Wable said.
It is, however, pertinent to note that according to a Department of Personnel and Training FAQ sheet, “Only such persons would be eligible for reservation in services/posts who suffer from not less than 40 per cent of relevant disability. A person who wants to avail of benefit of reservation would have to submit a Disability Certificate issued by a competent authority.”
Khedkar, a 2023-batch IAS officer from Maharashtra, claimed to be visually handicapped in her affidavit to the Union Public Service Commission.
In 2022, she missed up to six medical exams to verify her impairment. However, she then provided an MRI report from an outside medical facility. After an 8-month delay, this MRI report was accepted in 2023.
Although Puja Khedkar secured 841st rank, she was allotted IAS, India’s premier civil service, due to the caste quotas. However, in the event her OBC and Physically Challenged certifications are found to be fraudulent, she will be discharged from service. Khedkar, however, will have the option to challenge this before the Central Administrative Tribunal.
Notably, Puja Khedkar’s name appeared in the news after she demanded special facilities before joining on the post of Assistant Collector in Pune. As per the chats, she asked for a special office, an official car, and staff. It must be noted that probationers are not entitled to these facilities. She also drove her luxury Audi car with a beacon and VIP number plate. She had also put a ‘Maharashtra government’ sign on her private car. A one-member committee has been formed to investigate the matter. The committee will submit its report within a two-week time period.
