Mumbai: Following a week-long investigation, the state government’s General Administrative Department (GAD), led by Additional Chief Secretary Nitin Gadre, submitted a report on Thursday detailing various allegations against IAS probationer Puja Khedkar to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) of the Union Government.
Additionally, the report was dispatched to the Centre’s one-member committee, overseen by Additional Secretary Manoj Diwedi, who is examining the case.
The report compiled by Gadre consists of documents gathered from multiple agencies to assess the authenticity of Khedkar’s claims made before her service induction.
Prominent among these were the medical and income certificates she presented to avail the benefits of the OBC and PwBD quotas; the investigation into her parents’ marital status (she alleged they were estranged, which Pune police inquiries disproved); her father, former civil servant Dilip Khedkar’s election affidavit revealing a net worth of Rs 40 crore, contradicting Puja’s assertion of the family’s annual income being under Rs 8 lakh to qualify for the OBC quota; and an RTO certificate confirming that Puja did not possess a driving license.
The report also highlights her authoritarian conduct at the Pune collectorate, her posting location, and her omission of certain training modules. Sources indicate that Pune Divisional Commissioner Chandrakant Pulkundwar had advised Khedkar upon noticing her training lapses.
Khedkar became embroiled in controversy when it was revealed that she had affixed an amber beacon and the state government emblem to the Audi she used for commuting, leading to a conflict with a senior officer regarding the use of his office.
The thorough report also captures the nature of her tenure as a probationary officer at the Pune collectorate. At that time, Pune Collector Suhas Diwase had noted her claim to Additional Collector Ajay More’s office and her use of a personal vehicle for official tasks. She was subsequently transferred to Washim.
