IAS Trainee Puja Khedkar, who was ordered by Mussoorie-based Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) to join the institute latest by July 23, did not report on Tuesday.
Khedkar has been missing since the FIR was launched against her at Delhi. She was to be present at academy at Mussoorie yesterday. But she didn’t.
Last week, a criminal case was registered against her for “misrepresenting and falsifying facts” following a “thorough investigation” by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) into allegations of misconduct.
Puja Khedkar case:
Khedkar came under the scanner for alleged irregularities in her selection for the civil service. She is being accused of allegedly manipulating her identity to appear for the civil services examination multiple times, exceeding the permissible attempts, according to a statement issued by the Commission.
Khedkar is also accused of bullying everyone around and of placing a red-blue beacon (indicating high-ranking official) atop a private Audi (a luxury sedan) car used by her that also had ‘Maharashtra Government’ written on it during her stint.
UPSC notice to Khedkar:
The UPSC has also issued a show cause notice regarding the cancellation of her candidature for the 2022 examination and is considering barring her from future exams, according to the statement.
“UPSC has filed a complaint with Delhi Police against Ms. Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar for misrepresenting and falsifying facts to obtain extra attempts in the UPSC examinations, beyond the prescribed limit. Consequently, a case has been registered under the relevant sections of the law, and investigation has been taken up in Crime Branch,” Delhi Police said in a statement.
While specific details of the case have not been disclosed, officials indicated that it involves charges of forgery, cheating, and misuse of the disability quota in securing her civil services candidacy.
The UPSC statement alleged that Khedkar, who was provisionally recommended for the Civil Services Examination in 2022, altered her name, her parents’ names, her photograph, signature, contact details, and address in order to appear for the exam beyond the allowed limit.
As news of the case broke, Khedkar reportedly left her post in Maharashtra’s Washim, where she had been serving during her probation.
After Khedkar’s case related to misuse of disability and Other Backward Class or OBC (non-creamy layer) quotas to secure her candidature in the service came to fore, the Centre on July 11 formed a single-member probe committee.
Pune Collector’s Office has also directed an investigation into allegations of fraudulent disability certificates following a letter from the Divyang Welfare Commissionerate. The probe will target doctors and assistants involved in issuing false disability certificates, with a potential case set to be filed against those implicated.
She was declared qualified in the civil services examination 2022. Based on the results declared last year by the UPSC, Khedkar was allocated the IAS and her home state Maharashtra as a cadre.
Khedkar got 821st rank in the civil services examination 2022, under OBC category as a person with multiple disabilities, according to UPSC records.
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