Centre sacks controversial officer Puja Khedkar from IAS with immediate effect

The Centre on Saturday sacked Puja Khedkar from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) with immediate effect. 

The move came a month after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) cancelled her selection in government service.

Khedkar has been found guilty of faking and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota benefits. After cancelling her selection, the UPSC had also barred her for life from taking the entrance exam after founding her guilty of faking her identity to take the exam multiple times.

In a status report submitted to the Delhi High Court three days ago, Delhi Police had contended that Maharashtra cadre probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar had submitted two separate disability certificates for her UPSC exam.

The disability certificates dated 2018 and 2021 citing ‘multiple disabilities’ were purportedly issued by the Ahmednagar District Civil Hospital for her UPSC attempts made in 2022 and 2023.

However, as per Delhi Police’s status report, the hospital authorities had denied that the certificates claiming ‘multiple disabilities’ were issued to her by them.

Khedkar's troubles began in June when Pune Collector Suhas Diwase wrote to Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik flagging her demands for perks such as car, staff and an office which she was not entitled to during her two-year probation period.

Amid the row, her selection for IAS came under scrutiny.

It was found that she availed relaxed criteria for OBC candidates and persons with disabilities. It then came to light that her father, a former Maharashtra government officer, had property to the tune of Rs 40 crore and that she did not qualify for the non-creamy layer OBC quota.

Meanwhile, a video of her sarpanch mother Manorama Khedkar brandishing a gun to threaten farmers had also emerged. Manorama was later arrested.