After the allegations mounted against IAS officer Puja Khedkar, her father on Sunday defended his daughter and said she had not done anything illegal. Puja recently came under heat for allegedly using fake disability and OBC category certificates, using a red beacon light on a private Audi, and misuse of authority, among other accusations. Following which, she was transferred from Pune to Washim district in Maharashtra.
Her father and former Maharashtra government employee, Dilip Khedkar, was speaking at an interview with a local Marathi channel when he quashed all the allegations against his daughter, Puja Khedkar.
Non-Creamy Layer Misuse
Dilip said that she indeed belongs to the non-creamy layer. He explained that even a person with limited means who owns 4-5 acres of land might appear to be worth several crores based on valuation, but the classification as creamy layer depends on income rather than property valuation.
Earlier, Dilip had contested Lok Sabha elections and declared assets worth Rs 40 crore. However, eyebrows were raised when his daughter Puja secured an IAS position under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category, which is meant for candidates with an annual income of less than 8 lakh.
‘I’ll Make Her Resign’
One of the accusations against Puja is that she removed the nameplate of a senior official at the Pune collector’s office after he permitted her to use his antechamber as her office.
“She used the cabin with the proper permission from her senior. Is it anywhere written that a young intern woman with IAS should not be given a separate cabin? If it is written, then I will make her resign from her job,” Dilip asserted.
Misuse Of Power
Regarding the 34-year-old officer’s alleged misuse of power, including the use of a private luxury car with a VIP number plate and red-blue beacon during her tenure at the Pune collector’s office, Dilip stated that she had obtained permission for all her actions.
“She used the luxury car for official work because no government vehicle was available. She did that with proper permission from her seniors in the administration,” Dilip asserted.
The police seized the Audi luxury car earlier today.
Fake Disability Certificate
Regarding the allegations of misuse of disability certificates, Dilip stated that the government sets criteria to determine a person’s disability, and his daughter meets those criteria.
“Many disabilities are not visible but are diagnosed through medical tests. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she missed some medical check-ups,” he explained.
Earlier, an official had mentioned that in April 2022, Puja was instructed to appear at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, for verification of her disability certificate. However, she did not attend, citing a COVID infection.
The Centre has appointed a single-member committee to review the documents submitted by Puja for her civil services examination and subsequent selection to the IAS.
Mother Manorama’s Viral Video
Dilip also stood by Puja’s mother, Manorama, who was captured in an old video reportedly issuing threats with a gun during a land dispute. The police have filed a case against Dilip and Manorama regarding this incident.
Puja’s father said, “The media and others are showing only one video clip. The day before that incident, a local aggressively approached her with a stick. In such a situation, should she have stayed silent?”
He further added that his wife possesses a license to carry the gun for self-defence.
The IAS officer from the 2023 batch is currently in her probationary period and assigned to her home state of Maharashtra.
(Based on inputs from PTI)
