Lagatar24 Desk
Pune:Pune Collector Suhas Diwase has firmly denied the harassment allegations brought against him by Puja Khedkar, a trainee Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer whose candidature was recently canceled by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
In an interview with The Indian Express, Diwase described Khedkar’s claims as “nonsensical” and “an afterthought.” His report to the Maharashtra government on Khedkar’s alleged misbehavior during her probation period triggered the events leading to her candidature cancellation.
“She was attached to the district collector’s office from June 3 to 14. During this time, I met her only thrice, and always in the company of my officers and lawyers. After June 14, she was attached to the office of the Divisional Commissioner,” Diwase explained.
He emphasized that Khedkar did not make any allegations of harassment during her posting in the district. “In her letter to the state government, in response to my report, she did not make any such claim. The issue arose only after she was transferred to Washim,” he added.
The UPSC has canceled Khedkar’s provisional candidature for the 2022 Civil Services Examination and barred her from future exams conducted by the commission. Khedkar faces multiple allegations, including displaying “VVIP behavior” during her training and submitting false disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates.
The UPSC’s decision came after examining records and finding Khedkar guilty of contravening CSE-2022 rules. “Her provisional candidature has been canceled, and she has been debarred permanently from all future examinations and selections of the UPSC,” the commission stated.
Khedkar, who secured an all-India rank of 821 in the UPSC exams, is accused of misusing her authority and faking her identity to exceed the permissible number of attempts in the civil services examination.
“The UPSC has thoroughly examined the data of more than 15,000 recommended candidates from 2009 to 2023 regarding the number of attempts availed by them. Barring the case of Ms. Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, no other candidate has availed more attempts than permitted. She changed her name and her parents’ names, making it difficult to detect her number of attempts,” the UPSC added.
The Delhi police have registered an FIR against Khedkar based on a complaint by the UPSC. The investigation revealed that she fraudulently availed attempts beyond the permissible limit by changing her identity details, including her name, parents’ names, photograph, signature, email ID, mobile number, and address.
After reports surfaced that she used fake documents to prove her physical disability, the UPSC issued her a show-cause notice. Subsequently, she was relieved from the District Training Programme of the Maharashtra government and recalled to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie, where her training was put on hold.
Meanwhile, a Delhi court is set to hear Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea today. Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala adjourned the hearing after the public prosecutor sought more time.
Earlier this week, a Pune court remanded Khedkar’s mother to 14-day judicial custody in a criminal case linked to a land dispute. Manorama Khedkar was arrested for allegedly threatening some persons with a gun over a land dispute in Pune last year.
