Puja Khedkar: Trainee IAS Officer Under Fire for Alleged Fraudulent Disability and Caste Claims

Probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar is at the center of a controversy regarding the authenticity of her disability and OBC status claims, which helped her secure a position in the civil services. The Centre has established a one-man panel to investigate the matter. If found guilty of misrepresentation or suppression of facts, Khedkar could face severe consequences.

The panel, led by Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) additional secretary Manoj Dwivedi, will examine how Khedkar obtained the documents supporting her disability and OBC status. Key areas of focus include verifying whether proper vetting was conducted by the issuing authority and investigating her failure to attend necessary medical tests at AIIMS Delhi to confirm her disability, despite being categorized as 'Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD)' for her IAS appointment.

Government sources revealed that the panel's findings will be presented to the DoPT, which will then forward the report with recommendations to the Maharashtra government, given Khedkar's allocation to the Maharashtra cadre. If she is found guilty of forging her OBC and disability credentials, she risks termination by the state government and potential criminal charges for forgery and deception.

To assess the validity of Khedkar's OBC status, the DoPT panel is considering involving the social justice ministry. Despite her claims of belonging to an economically weaker category, discrepancies arose when her father, a former bureaucrat and recent Lok Sabha election candidate, disclosed assets exceeding Rs 40 crore, including properties valued in crores registered under Khedkar's name.

Furthermore, the panel plans to collaborate with experts from AIIMS Delhi to evaluate whether the visual and mental disabilities asserted by Khedkar meet the required criteria for government employment, according to Times of India.

A senior government official noted that this case is not unique, highlighting instances of aspirants making inaccurate disability claims for selection in the PwBD category annually. These individuals typically avoid the mandatory AIIMS medical examination and challenge the process in the Central Administrative Tribunal, only to be unsuccessful in their quest for appointment after failing the test, the TOI reported.