Father of Trainee IAS Officer Puja Khedkar: She Qualifies for OBC Non-Creamy Layer

The 2023 batch IAS officer is currently under probation and is posted in her home cadre of Maharashtra. Puja has recently been in the spotlight due to controversy surrounding her alleged demands for a separate cabin and staff during her posting in Pune, as well as her sudden transfer to Washim district.

Further allegations have been made regarding her securing a position in the IAS under the Other Backward Class (OBC) and visually impaired categories, with an annual income of less than Rs 8 lakh. Her father, Dilip Khedkar, defended her classification as belonging to the non-creamy layer, citing the valuation of property and income as determining factors.

Regarding allegations of misuse of power, including the use of a private luxury car with a VIP number plate and red-blue beacon during her tenure at the Pune collector’s office, her father clarified that all permissions were obtained for these actions. He explained that the luxury car belonged to a relative and was used for official purposes due to the unavailability of a government vehicle.

The allegations of removing the nameplate of a senior official and misuse of disability certificates were also addressed by Dilip, who stated that his daughter had obtained proper permissions and met the criteria for her disability. He also mentioned that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she had missed some medical check-ups.

In April 2022, Puja was requested to report for the verification of her disability certificate at AIIMS, Delhi, but was unable to do so due to a COVID-19 infection. A single-member committee has been constituted by the Centre to re-examine the documents submitted by Puja for her candidature in the civil services examination and subsequent IAS selection.

Meanwhile, her mother, Manorama, has been involved in a separate incident and registered a case over a land dispute, which her father defended as an act of self-defence, citing a threatening situation and her possession of a license for the gun. This unedited story has been published from a syndicated feed.