Centre Forms Panel To Investigate Trainee IAS Officer’s Disability Claims

The Centre has established a committee to investigate the “candidature claims and other details” submitted by trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who faces allegations of misusing disability and OBC quotas to secure her position in the service.

This single-member committee, headed by a senior officer at the Additional Secretary level in the Government of India, will present its findings within two weeks. “The central government has constituted a single-member committee, chaired by a senior officer of the rank of Additional Secretary to government of India to verify the candidature claims and other details of Ms. Puja Manorma Dilip Khedkar, a candidate of Civil Services Examination-2022 and earlier CSEs. The committee will submit its report in 2 weeks,” the Department of Personnel and Training stated.

Puja Khedkar, a 2023-batch trainee IAS officer, also faces serious allegations of misconduct and abuse of her bureaucratic position. It is claimed that she used a red beacon, VIP number plates, and a “Government of Maharashtra” sticker on her privately-owned Audi sedan.

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Amid the growing controversy, Ms. Khedkar has been transferred to Washim. When approached by the media for comments, she responded, “Government rules do not allow me to speak anything on this matter. So sorry, I cannot speak.”