2024-07-16 17:35:57
Alka Dhupkar: A 58-year-old man shouts at a Tehsildar, you will never be promoted to the level of Additional Collector. The Tehsildar is an important person in the district machinery of Pune. He is not senior to the Tehsildar, not even a part of the district administration, yet has the guts to scold a government employee. After this statement of the man who is the father of a girl, it seems that such behavior is a family trait of these people as this man’s daughter, 33-year-old trainee IAS officer Dr. Pooja Khedkar has been in the news for threatening and intimidating not only her subordinates but also senior district officials. Meanwhile, now a video of Pooja’s mother Manorama brandishing a pistol to ‘intimidate’ farmers has gone viral.
IAS Probationer of 2023 Batch
If you haven’t read Puja’s story, she is a 2023 batch IAS probationer who was recently transferred from the Pune Collector’s office to Washim district in Vidarbha as ‘Supernumerary Assistant Collector’ for alleged misconduct. This happened after Pune District Collector Suhas Divase wrote a letter to Maharashtra Additional Chief Secretary Nitin Gadre on June 24 requesting that Puja be transferred to another district to avoid ‘administrative complications’.
After VIP number plate and Audi with red light, Maharashtra IAS Pooja Khedkar is embroiled in a new controversy, know the whole matter
Interestingly, Puja was posted at the Pune collector’s office just three weeks ago, on June 3. Also, she is not a permanent IAS officer but a probationer. After her probation ends on July 30, 2025, she will get four years to pass an exam. If she fails, she will be dismissed from service.
Father’s anger for his daughter
Puja’s all-too-short ‘career’ has been notable for her demands. Let’s go back to the tiff her father Dilip Khedkar had with Pune tehsildar Deepak Akade. The report Akade has given to the collector’s office states that it happened sometime after she started work on June 3. He said that the father and daughter barged into the office to choose a cabin for her. They liked a VIP cabin with an attached toilet on the 4th floor and it was given to Puja. But then, she demanded some changes in the electrical fittings which could not be done. So, she angrily refused to take the cabin, leading papa Khedkar to predict a disappointing career graph for Akade. She then demanded a cabin on the 5th floor. The collector and additional collector’s cabins are located there and she got it.
IAS Pooja Khedkar, who owns 110 acres of land, 6 plots and 7 flats, 4 luxury cars including Audi and a gold watch, is worth crores
Demand for additional facilities in the office
Puja finally occupied the chamber formerly belonging to Additional Collector Ajay More. On June 13, she had a meeting with More and strangely, her father also accompanied her. By the end of the meeting, Puja had found an acceptable office. Five days later, she expressed her gratitude by evicting More, who was in Mumbai for work from June 18 to 20, from the chamber. Puja allegedly removed More’s nameplate and moved out the furniture without his consent. She also demanded letterheads, visiting cards, tabletop glasses, paperweights, tricolour, emblems, nameplates, computers, printers, intercom phones and other amenities even though basic amenities were already available, Aakade’s report said.
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A demand that could not be met
Interestingly, even before joining her post, Puja was making demands that could not be fulfilled. On May 23, she sent a WhatsApp message to Resident Deputy Collector (RDC) Jyoti Kadam. In this, she asked for an update on “accommodation, travel, cabin etc.” She replied that all arrangements would be made as per rules after Puja joined. In another message, Puja scolded the RDC: ‘Any problem in calling back?’ On May 27, Puja issued instructions to RDC Kadam: ‘Please get the scheduled cabin and car work done before I join on the 3rd. There will be no time after that. If this is not possible, let me know, I will talk to Collector Sahab about this.’ Despite being new to the administrative service, Puja had a surprising influence on the RDC. She had full faith in the efficiency of the collector.
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Puja had crossed the line of decorum by making alterations in More’s chamber without his consent. Collector Suhas Divase removed her from there. Akade said in his report: ‘Her father called me and threatened me with dire consequences for misbehaving with his daughter. He said all the officials are harassing her because she is a woman and they will also have to face the consequences. The report said Puja’s father repeatedly harassed government officials. The collector has ordered action against him for this.
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Who is Dilip Khedkar?
Who exactly is Dilip Khedkar? He is a retired government employee who contested the recent Lok Sabha elections from Ahmednagar constituency in Maharashtra on a Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi ticket. He finished fourth with 1% of the votes. However, he is a rich man, having declared assets worth Rs 40 crore in his election affidavit and claimed an annual income of Rs 43 lakh.
Anyway, the collector’s swift action against her for altering More’s chamber left Puja restless. On Friday, June 21, she sent a WhatsApp message to the collector expressing her grief: “If I am removed from my new cabin, I will feel very humiliated and I fear I will not be able to bear it. I request you not to insult me,” she wrote in Marathi.
IAS Pooja Khedkar, who was surrounded by controversies, finally joined Washim Collectorate, also spoke on media’s questions
The trainee IAS officer with the Audi
Puja’s demands were not limited to the office. Government vehicles were not enough for her, so she continued using her personal Audi A4, but she wanted a VIP number plate for it. She also installed blue and red lights on the car without permission. She also pasted the ‘Maharashtra Government’ logo on it. Interestingly, she is using a government Mahindra Bolero vehicle in Washim.
Threatening farmers with a gun, occupying land with bouncers! FIR against trainee IAS Pooja Khedkar’s domineering mother
Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar has said that he has seen pictures of Pooja’s Audi on social media. His department will initiate action under the Motor Vehicles Act. Pune Police launched a massive investigation into the case on July 11. When they visited Pooja’s family bungalow, its gate was locked from inside. In the video, her mother can be seen attacking the video camera with a sharp object. She is also heard threatening that she will put media personnel behind bars if anything happens to her daughter. And now it has come to light that Pooja’s Audi has 21 traffic challans worth Rs 26,000 pending. The oldest challans are pending till 2022.
IAS Pooja Khedkar: With a pistol in her hand and a team of bouncers, you will be surprised to see the bullying of IAS Pooja Khedkar’s mother Manorama
Poor children of rich people?
The focus of Puja’s story has now shifted from the office and the car to the legitimacy of her place in the Indian Administrative Service. Doubts are being raised over the eligibility criteria she used to secure the position. Puja first cleared the civil services exam in 2019, but had to settle for the less popular Indian Revenue Service. In 2021, she applied again, claiming exemption under the OBC (non-creamy layer) quota and the Multiple Disabilities (MD) category.
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This time, she got an All India Rank (AIR) of 821. Earlier, she had also tried to avail the PwBD (Person with Benchmark Disability) Level V category, which indicates a high level of disability. Without the OBC-Non-Creamy-Layer and MD certificates, she would not have been in the civil services. But people are asking how did a rich man’s daughter get an OBC non-creamy layer certificate? To fall into this category, your annual family income should be less than Rs 8 lakh. Puja’s father’s income is five times more than this. He himself is said to have assets worth Rs 17 crore.
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How real is the disability?
The MD quota was the second weapon used by Pooja to get into the IAS. She claimed she was suffering from ‘mental illness’ and ‘blindness’. The only way to confirm this was through a medical examination, but she deferred it six times, starting from April 22, 2022. On September 22 that year, AIIMS New Delhi informed the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) that Pooja could not be examined due to her non-cooperation. On November 14, 2022, it sent a letter advising her to approach the DoPT.
Disclosure: Ahmednagar District Hospital had issued two disability certificates to trainee IAS Pooja Khedkar
Committee report in two weeks
The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order dated February 23, 2023 said, ‘Despite several attempts by the duty officer of AIIMS to contact the applicant (Pooja), no response was received from her. Therefore, the assessment of the percentage of visual disability could not be completed. Pooja’s lawyer Vaibhav Kulkarni said that the Bombay High Court stayed the CAT order on April 23, 2023 and gave her another chance to appear before the AIIMS medical board. He told the media that her father told me that she has cleared the medical examination. Now, a committee headed by the additional secretary in the DoPT will verify Pooja’s candidature claims. The committee will submit its report in two weeks.