Puja Khedkar, a probationary IAS officer who secured an All India rank of 821 within the Union Public Service Fee (UPSC) exams, has been transferred from Pune to the Washim district of Maharashtra after allegations of misusing her authority.
As an assistant collector in Pune, Khedkar was discovered to have availed services not entitled to probationary officers, together with allegedly utilizing a red-blue beacon and a “Maharashtra Authorities” board on her non-public Audi automotive.
Moreover, she allegedly occupied the ante-chamber of Further Collector Ajay Extra with out permission, eliminated workplace furnishings with out consent, and requested unauthorised services.
Following a letter from Pune Collector Suhas Divase to the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, Khedkar was transferred to Washim district, the place she’s going to full her probationary interval as a supernumerary assistant collector.
It has additionally been alleged that Khedkar’s father, a retired administrative officer who lately contested the Lok Sabha election from the Ahmednagar seat on the Vanchit Aghadi ticket, had exerted stress on the District Collector’s workplace to fulfil his daughter’s calls for, including to the controversy.
Pune RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar additionally raised questions on Khedkar’s appointment alleging that she didn’t fall below the OBC non-creamy layer as her father had belongings price Rs 40 crore.
“As per the principles, solely these come below the OBC non-creme layer class whose mother and father are below eight lac each year of earnings, however their earnings reveals that it’s 40 crore. Her mother and father contested the latest Lok Sabha polls and all of the property particulars are there within the affidavit,” he stated.
“Her father, Dilip Khedkar, in his Lok Sabha polls affidavit, confirmed a conservative estimated wealth of Rs 40 crore and an annual earnings of Rs 49 lakh. The knowledge is within the public area. Primarily based on the election affidavit filed by her father within the lately concluded Lok Sabha elections, the whole belongings of Khedkar’s father quantity to Rs 40 crore,” Kumbhar claimed.
“This raises the query of how Puja Khedkar might come below the OBC non-creamy layer class. An in depth investigation have to be completed on how she was appointed as an IAS officer in that class,” he stated.
Kumbhar says that Puja Khedkar’s IAS utility and previous should be investigated in order that the reality is revealed.
“I did some analysis and it has been revealed within the analysis that both Puja Khedekar gave a non-creamy layer certificates or her father had been mendacity within the election affidavit, no matter it’s, all this stuff should be investigated and the reality should come to the fore,” Kumbhar claimed.
“I even have the knowledge that her father owns 110 acres of land in Maharashtra and as per the Agriculture Land Ceiling Act, an individual can’t hold greater than 54 acres of land right here. This additionally must be investigated; the perpetrator have to be punished,” stated Kumbhar.
Including additional, he stated, “Even when Puja Khedkar’s mother and father get divorced, it would not make any distinction as a result of Pooja Khedkar herself has earnings price Rs 17 lakh.”
In the meantime, Khedekar joined in Washim as a supernumerary assistant collector on Wednesday, when she was questioned concerning the allegations towards her she stated that she had formally joined her obligation in Washim however service guidelines prevented her from talking to the media on the difficulty