New Delhi: The case of probationary Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar, who was transferred out of Pune collector’s office after complaints of impropriety, snowballed into a major controversy Thursday after glaring discrepancies emerged in the other backward class (OBC) and disability certificates that she submitted to secure a position in the civil service, ThePrint has learnt.
A senior Maharashtra cadre IAS officer, who did not want to be named, said that Khedkar, a 2023 batch IAS officer who scored 841 rank in Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam, had allegedly submitted an OBC non-creamy layer certificate, implying that her family’s annual income is less than Rs 8 lakh.
“However, when Khedkar submitted her asset declaration statement, which every successful candidate has to give after joining the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) for the mandatory two-year training, she declared immovable assets to the tune of Rs 22 crore. It’s a self-declaration statement,” the officer told ThePrint.
The statement of immovable property has to be updated at the beginning of every year by all civil servants.
This mismatch in Khedkar’s OBC non-creamy layer certificate and her actual declared assets has also brought the UPSC and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), under scrutiny, several serving IAS officers told ThePrint. The UPSC conducts the civil service exams and recruits successful candidates into IAS and other civil services. The DoPT, which appoints IAS officers, is their controlling authority.
Four senior IAS officers, posted in Maharashtra and Delhi, told ThePrint that the Khedkar case highlights lapses at various levels in verifying documents, including her OBC non-creamy layer status and multiple disability certificates submitted by her.
After the Khedkar case snowballed, the Centre Thursday evening constituted a committee to inquire into the matter and verify her candidature claims, one of the IAS officers said.
The four IAS officers ThePrint spoke to said that this kind of discrepancy is unheard of. “The OBC certificate along with half-a-dozen other documents, including date of birth and mark sheets, are verified first by the UPSC, which then sends it to the DoPT after a candidate makes it to the IAS,” one of the senior IAS officers posted in Delhi said, adding that at DoPT, the document verification process is very rigorous.
“DoPT carries out police verification to check the candidate’s antecedents. All other certificates, including the OBC certificates, go through multiple layers of verification. It’s very puzzling how Khedkar’s non-creamy layer certificate got cleared,” the second IAS officer, who wished to not be named, said to ThePrint.
Another IAS officer explained that incase of OBC non creamy layer certificates, DoPT verifies if it has been issued by the competent authority. Only once the verification is done and everything is in order that they issue an appointment letter. “The UPSC does a prima facie verification of OBC certificates and other documents and sends it to the DoPT, where rigorous verification is done” the officer added.
Multiple calls to UPSC secretary Shashi Ranjan Kumar went unanswered.
Meanwhile, it’s not just Khedkar’s income declaration that is raising eyebrows. “Her father, Deelip Kondiba Khedkar, who contested the Maharashtra Lok Sabha election from Ahmednagar constituency in 2024, had also declared total assets of Rs 40 crore in his affidavit submitted to the Election Commission of India,” a third senior IAS officer added.
Deelip Khedkar, a retired Maharashtra Pollution Control Board officer, had contested as a candidate of Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi party, but lost.
ThePrint reached both Puja Khedkar and Deelip Kondiba Khedkar via calls. This report will be updated if and when responses are received.
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LBSNAA director also empowered to take action
Khedkar, a trainee IAS officer on probation in the Pune collector’s office, began allegedly harassing officers three months into her probation there by demanding an official car with a VIP number plate, red beacon and an official chamber with adequate staff. The Maharashtra government Tuesday transferred her to Washim as supernumerary assistant collector.
The Maharashtra government’s decision comes a fortnight after Pune district collector Suhas Diwase wrote to the outgoing Maharashtra chief secretary, complaining about the probationary officer’s misconduct.
In the letter dated 24 June, Diwase had said that not only did Khedkar make outlandish demands, her father Deelip Khedkar, a retired IAS officer, had also allegedly intimidated the district staff, claiming they were mistreating his daughter, and warned them of repercussions.
One of the IAS officers said that during their two-year training period, LBSNAA is the controlling authority of the civil servants.
Khedkar, who was transferred to Washim from Pune Tuesday, is completing her field training currently. “After the field training is over, it’s the Maharashtra government which will write to LBSNAA saying that the field training of the probationary IAS officer was satisfactory or otherwise,” a third IAS officer said.
The officer added that if the state government does not give a satisfactory report, LBSNAA can further extend the field training period. “In case of a report of glaring impropriety, the LBSNAA director is empowered to even dismiss a trainee officer,” the third officer said.
ThePrint also reached Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik and LBSNAA director Sriram Taranikanti via phone calls. This report will be updated if and when responses are received.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhari)