Dismissed IAS probationary officer Dr Puja Khedkar appears before Pune Police; activist raises doubts about her intentions

Pune: Dismissed IAS probationary officer Dr Puja Khedkar appeared before the Pune Police for an investigation. Reacting to this, RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar, who exposed alleged misdeeds of Khedkar, said, “The accused will not confess to her offence till the court rules over it. Puja Khedkar did not appear before the police on her own. The UPSC has dismissed her from the civil services. It is enough to prove her guilt that an offence has been registered against her. If the allegations against her are not proved or the certificates she submitted are held as genuine, there would be chaos across the country. People will not hesitate to submit fake documents.”

Kumbhar expressed unhappiness about the protection she secured from the apex court and the delay in deciding the case. He said, “She has given a false income certificate of her father and a false medical certificate. This has gone against her. She will not confess. The Supreme Court is frequently granting her protection from arrest. She cannot be arrested till May 21.

“The prosecution has demanded her police custody, which is just. Because Puja Khedkar is not alone. It should be probed who gave her fake certificates, who helped her to get an early posting in the UPSC, whose cars she used and the allegations she made against the District Collector.

“She cheated the UPSC by changing the spelling of her father’s name. It has been revealed how she changed her names. She took medical certificates from three places, for which various reasons and proof were submitted. She also procured a passport from the same source and it is said that the passport was used by someone.”

It is alleged that Khedkar furnished wrong details while appearing for the UPSC exam 2022. However, she refuted the allegations. Her reported misdeeds were exposed in 2024. She has secured protection from arrest even after the UPSC has lodged an offence against her. Therefore, there has been no progress in the investigation in the absence of her questioning.

Khedkar secured the 841st rank in the UPSC exam. Later, she joined as an Assistant District Collector as a probationary officer. However, her deeds were exposed as she craved to move around in a car with the amber light and her bid to occupy the Additional District Collector’s chamber. When reports about this appeared, she installed the amber light on her personal car. District Collector Suhas Diwase lodged a complaint about her and she was transferred to Washim.