IAS officer Puja Khedkar's disability certificates to be probed

Pune police will conduct an inquiry into the authenticity of medical certificates submitted by probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, accused of misrepresenting herself under the physical disabilities category, an official said on Tuesday.

Khedkar, the 2023-batch officer currently posted in Washim district, had submitted to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) multiple medical certificates, one of them indicating visual impairment, under the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) provision.

The 34-year-old Maharashtra cadre officer faces accusations of using fraudulent means to clear her civil services exam, including allegedly misrepresenting herself under the physical disabilities and OBC categories, and misusing power and privileges during her posting in Pune.

The Office of the Commissioner For Persons With Disabilities has written a letter to the Pune police and the district collectorate to verify the certificates submitted by Khedkar.

A senior police official said, "We have received a letter from the Office of the Commissioner For Persons With Disabilities. They have asked us to check the authenticity of certificates submitted by Puja Khedkar. We will verify the facts about these certificates, from where they were obtained, which doctor or hospitals certified them will also be scanned."

It has also emerged that the controversial junior IAS officer had submitted a fitness certificate while securing admission to a private medical college in 2007.

Last week, the Centre set up a single-member committee "to verify the candidature" of Khedkar and submit a report in two weeks.

The government said the probe would be conducted by an additional secretary-rank officer to verify the candidature claims and other details of the IAS officer.

Khedkar on Monday sidestepped questions related to the ongoing probe against her, saying the truth will eventually prevail.

The Pune police have also been searching for her parents in a separate criminal case.

An FIR has been registered against the couple and five others after a video emerged showing Puja Khedkar's mother Manorama Khedkar, a village sarpanch, allegedly threatening some persons with a gun over a land dispute.

The Pune police on Sunday confiscated a luxury car used by Puja Khedkar by allegedly installing a red beacon light on it illegally.