Puja Khedkar was found guilty of misusing the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and disability quota benefits to secure her position in UPSC.
The Central Government has officially dismissed Puja Khedkar from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), effective immediately. This decision follows the Union Public Service Commission’s (UPSC) recent cancellation of her selection to the highly prestigious government service branch.
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Khedkar was found guilty of misusing the Other Backward Classes (OBC) and disability quota benefits to secure her position. The UPSC has permanently banned her from reappearing for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) after uncovering that she falsified her identity to take the exam multiple times.
The controversy prompted the UPSC to review data of over 15,000 candidates who cleared the IAS exam between 2009 and 2023. The commission concluded that no other candidates had taken more attempts than allowed, apart from Khedkar.
Her issues began in June when Pune Collector Suhas Diwase raised concerns to Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik about Khedkar’s inappropriate demands during her probation period, such as requesting a car, staff, and office space that she wasn’t entitled to. Following these complaints, she was transferred to Washim.
Upon further investigation, it was revealed that Puja Khedkar had fraudulently availed benefits under relaxed criteria for OBC candidates and persons with disabilities.
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It was discovered that her father, a former Maharashtra government officer, owned property worth ₹40 crore, disqualifying her from the OBC non-creamy layer category. Additionally, she had skipped a mandatory government health check-up required to validate her disability status.
The controversy deepened when a video surfaced of Khedkar’s mother, a local sarpanch, brandishing a gun to threaten people. Her mother was later arrested, and her father, Dilip Khedkar, is now under investigation for possessing assets disproportionate to his known income.