'Get Cabin, Vehicle Ready Before...': Trainee IAS Officer Puja Khedkar's Chat Reveals Her Demands

Pune: Puja Khedkar, a probationary IAS officer in Maharashtra, is under scrutiny for allegedly lying about visual and mental disabilities and her OBC background to secure perks not typically available to junior staff. Transferred over alleged misuse of power, Khedkar demanded a separate office, a car, and a house before her posting as Assistant Collector in Pune. 

WhatsApp messages exchanged with the Pune Collector's office revealed her insistence on these arrangements and demanding confirmation of her "seating arrangement and vehicle" before her joining date on June 3.

A preliminary report from the Collector's Office including three screenshots of messages exchanged between Khedkar and an unidentified individual, showcasing her demands and pushy responses.

One of the first messages appears to be Khedkhar introducing herself to the officer. The message read, "Hello, Dr Puja Khedkar IAS here. I have been posted as Asst collector pune. Dr Diwase sir gave me ur contact number. I would be joining on June 3rd. However, some of my documents sent from Buldhana collector office to pune I am not able to locate in our office. Kindly let me know what can be done."

The response was: "Ok. No issue. On Monday we can trace."

Khedkar then demanded details about her office and a government car, "so I can arrange accordingly". This too, she was told, would be "discussed with collector sir on Monday".

On May 23, an evidently impatient Khedkar messaged, "Any update about accommodation, travel, cabin, etc?" Receiving no response, she followed up the next day with, "Kindly respond. It's important."

She was informed, “Good morning... We will check upon your arrival.”

At this point, Khedkar appeared to become annoyed and responded, “I think it should be done before I join, not after. I have many things to plan accordingly and cannot leave it until later.”

After her phone calls went unanswered, Khedkar said, “Is there any problem with calling back?”

Four days later, she sent an ultimatum: "Pls get the designated cabin m vehicle done before I join on 3rd. Later there will be no time. If it is not possible let me know, I will talk to collector sir accordingly.”

The District Collector flagged these unusual demands of Khedkar to the Chief Secretary. In his report, he suggested that continuing Khedkar’s training in Pune would be inappropriate and could lead to administrative complications.

Khedkar was offered her own chamber, but she declined it due to the lack of an attached bathroom, according to the Collector’s report. Before joining, Khedkar visited the office with her father, Dilip Khedkar, and they proposed using a VIP hall next to the mining department as her cabin.

The probationary officer was informed that she was not entitled to these facilities during probation, and accommodation would be provided to her.

Who is Puja Khedkar?

Khedkar, an IAS officer from the 2023 batch, is facing multiple allegations, including misrepresentation of her OBC status, and using a red beacon, siren (typically reserved for VIP government vehicles) and a 'Government of Maharashtra' emblem on her private vehicle, a luxury Audi sedan.

Following the District Collector's report, Khedkar was transferred to Washim district to complete her training. She was appointed as the Assistant Collector in Washim and will serve there as an 'additional Assistant Collector' until July 30, 2025.  She achieved an All India Rank of 821 in the UPSC exams and was serving as an assistant collector in Pune before her transfer.

She was also found using Additional Collector Ajay More's office in his absence. Reportedly, she removed office furniture and even requested letterheads.

Puja Khedkar Faked Disability and Mental Illness

The controversy has also brought to light revelations about her application for the civil services exam. There is also scrutiny surrounding the Disability and OBC Creamy Layer certificates she had submitted. She had allegedly claimed to have visual impairment and mental illness in the affidavit submitted to the Union Public Service Commission.

As per documents submitted to the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), Khedkar had appeared for the UPSC exam under the OBC and visually impaired categories. She also submitted a mental illness certificate to the UPSC to obtain her IAS posting.

It was alleged that after her selection, Khedkar was summoned by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, for verification of her disability certificate. However, she opted out of attending the medical examination at AIIMS, citing a COVID-19 infection in April 2022.

Despite being summoned for the test on five subsequent occasions, she consistently declined, citing various reasons. It was later alleged that she submitted a fake disability verification report from a local private hospital and subsequently assumed duties as a probationary officer in Pune. The UPSC raised objections to her submitted certificate in the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), yet she reportedly received her joining orders under mysterious circumstances, allegedly using political influence.