Troubles have mounted for trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who was asked to report at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy Of Administration in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand, by July 23 and has failed to do so.
Khedkar came under scanner for alleged irregularities in her selection for civil service and misuse of powers. As she got riled up around the controversy over her selection, Khedkar was recalled to the academy and her training programme was put on hold.
On July 16, Maharashtra Additional Chief Secretary Nitin Gadre wrote to Puja Khedkar, stating that her training period with the government had been terminated. According to India Today sources, Puja Khedkar has neither reported to the academy nor replied to the letter.
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Puja Khedkar has been out of reach after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) filed a criminal case against her “misrepresenting and falsifying facts” in her application for civil service, several media reports suggested.
Khedkar, a 2023-batch trainee IAS officer, is facing allegations of misusing the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Persons With Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) quotas for selection.
She has also been booked by the Delhi Police’s Crime Branch for allegedly submitting false information to UPSC about her identity to avail more attempts at the civil service exams than she is eligible for. The Centre has also formed a single-member committee to examine all documents submitted by Khedkar.
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Khedkar came under the spotlight earlier this month after she was transferred from Pune to Washim district over complaints of misconduct, including the use of a private car with a beacon light, during her probation period. She also sought a separate office, an official vehicle, and staff — privileges that she is not entitled to as a probationer.