Puja Khedkar Unapologetic As Republic Confronts VVIP IAS Trainee

Pune: Amid controversies and allegations, which continued to cloud controversial probationary IAS officer Pooja Khedkar whose training in Maharashtra has been put on hold, has remained unapologetic in her responses when confronted by Republic TV.

Khedkar Dodges Questions By Republic TV

When Republic TV questioned Khedkar over allegations of using fraudulent means to clear her civil services exam, including allegedly misrepresenting herself under the physical disabilities and OBC categories, she clearly evaded the questions and refused to answer by saying that addressed the media a while back.

Khedar Allegedly Faked Disability

Fresh reports suggested that Khedkar allegedly secured admission at Pune's Kashibai Navale Medical College in 2007 for MBBS through the college's entrance examination and not the Common Entrance Test (CET) score and also lacked any sort of disability. 

Khedkar Accused of Misusing Caste Certificate

Khedkar was accused of misusing her caste certificate to secure admission using the Other Backward Class (OBC) non-creamy later quota and securing admission under the Nomadic Tribe-3 category reserved for the Vanjari community. 

It was earlier reported that Khedkar was admitted to the private college after scoring 146/200 marks in the college's entrance examination and not through her CET score.

A 2023-batch officer from Ahmednagar, Khedkar allegedly lied about her mental and visual condition to secure an officer's post despite an unimpressive score in the Civil Services Exam. 

However, Arvind Bhore, the Director of the college claimed that Khedkar took admission in 2007 through the CET and that she had submitted a medical fitness certificate, which didn't mention any disability. 

Bhore told ANI, “She had submitted the caste certificate, caste validity and non-creamy layer certificate... She also submitted the certificate of medical fitness, which does not mention any disability there."

Truth Will Prevail, Says Khedkar

Khedkar told media persons that the truth will prevail after she submits to the Central Committee probing allegations that she misused disability provisions and Other Backward Class quotas to secure a position in the civil service.

"Will Testify Before The Committee..."

“I will testify before the committee. I think whatever decision the committee will take should be acceptable to all,” Khedkar told reporters in Washim. "My job here as a probationer is to work and learn and that is what I am doing. I cannot make any comments on that,” she said.

“The experts of the government (committee) will decide. Neither I nor you (media) or the public can decide,” Khedkar said.

“Whenever the decision of the committee comes, it will be public and open to scrutiny. But right now I don’t have any right to tell you about the investigation going on,” she said.