IAS Puja Khedkar breaks silence after Centre forms probe committee amid controversy, says ‘I will follow…’

IAS Puja Khedkar Controversy: IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who is in the eye of the storm due to alleged misuse of authority, on Friday said she is not authorised to comment on controversies involving her and her family. The probationary collection assistant said she would submit her submissions before the committee and follow the procedure.

“I am not allowed to say anything to the media. I will present my submissions before the commission. I will follow the procedure,” Khedkar told the media.

The 2023 batch IAS officer, who is on probation, has sparked controversy after pictures of an Audi car with a ‘Government of Maharashtra’ signboard and a red-blue flashing light went viral on social media platforms. She has allegedly demanded separate house and car privileges, not available to junior officers, and is also accused of illegally occupying the room of an additional collector.

She now faces more serious charges that raise questions about her selection process in the civil service. She allegedly misused benefits under the physically disabled category and the OBC (Other Backward Class) certificate.

Raising questions over Khedkar’s appointment, Vijay Kumbhar – a Pune-based RTI activist – claimed that the probationary IAS officer did not fall under the non-creamy layer of OBC, as she had mentioned during the recruitment process. Kumbhar claimed that her father had assets worth ₹40 crores.

Central Shapes Probe Panel

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions said a committee headed by a senior official of the rank of Joint Secretary to the Government of India will verify the applications.

The government said the committee would submit its report in two weeks.

Khedkar has now been transferred to Washim after Pune district collector Suhas Diwse asked for her to be posted in another district and sought action against her.

Diwse is said to have written in a report to the General Administration Department that Khedkar had demanded a separate cabin, car and accommodation to live in.