Puja Khedkar, a probationary IAS officer from Maharashtra, has been transferred following allegations of misuse of power. Before assuming her role as Assistant Collector in Pune, Khedkar demanded a separate office, a car, and a house. Her WhatsApp messages to an official at the collectorate show her instructing the arrangements be made before her joining date on June 3.

"Please ensure the designated cabin and vehicle are ready before I join on the 3rd. Later, there will be no time. If this isn't possible, let me know, and I will speak to the Collector accordingly," she instructed the officer.

The District Collector reported these unusual demands to the Chief Secretary, suggesting that continuing Khedkar's training in Pune might lead to administrative issues. Although offered her own office chamber, Khedkar declined it due to the lack of an attached bathroom. She and her father, Dilip Khedkar, proposed using a VIP hall next to the mining department as her office.

Khedkar was informed that, as a probationary officer, she was not entitled to such facilities and that accommodation would be provided. Following the District Collector's report, Khedkar, a 2023-batch IAS officer, was transferred to Washim district to complete her training. She has been appointed as the Assistant Collector in Washim and will serve as a 'supernumerary Assistant Collector' until July 30, 2025.

Additionally, Khedkar used her private Audi car with a red-blue beacon light and a VIP number plate, and had installed a 'Maharashtra government' board on the vehicle.

Following the controversy, it was revealed that Khedkar allegedly submitted fake disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates to pass the civil services examination. She appeared for the exam under the OBC and visually impaired categories and also submitted a mental illness certificate. Despite being asked to undergo medical tests at AIIMS to verify her disabilities in April 2022, she refused on six occasions. An MRI certificate from a private facility confirmed her IAS appointment.

Inconsistencies were also found in her claims of OBC non-creamy layer status. Her father, Dilip Khedkar, declared assets worth Rs 40 crore in his 2024 Lok Sabha election affidavit, raising questions about her OBC qualification.

Source : DNA India