IAS Probationer Puja's Mother Manorama Khedkar Sent to Judicial Custody In Land Dispute Case

Manorama Khedkar, the junior IAS officer's mother, was arrested last year after allegedly threatening some people with a gun over a land dispute in Pune.

A Pune court remanded Manorama Khedkar, mother of the probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with a criminal case related to a land dispute on Monday. Additionally, her bail application was denied on the grounds that the charge of attempted murder has been applied, which is only within the jurisdiction of a sessions court, according to the prosecution. Last year, Manorama Khedkar was arrested for purportedly threatening individuals with a gun during a land dispute in Pune district.

Manorama Khedkar appeared before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) in the Paud region following the conclusion of her police custody. The prosecution did not request an extension of her police remand, leading JMFC Sudhir Barde to order a 14-day judicial custody, as stated by Public Prosecutor Amar Nanaware.

Subsequently, Manorama Khedkar's defense counsel filed for regular bail. Nevertheless, the JMFC noted that the offense under IPC section 307 (attempt to murder), cited in her case, is exclusively triable by a sessions court and thus declined to grant bail.

Public Prosecutor Nanaware reported that the defense's bail plea was based on a Supreme Court decision allowing magistrate courts to grant bail in cases typically tried by sessions courts. He responded by citing case law that emphasizes the gravity of IPC section 307 offenses, which precludes JMFC courts from granting bail, leaving such authority solely to sessions courts.

Manorama Khedkar, who had evaded capture for several days, was eventually detained at a lodge in Hirkaniwadi village near Mahad, Raigad district, on July 18.

The search for Manorama and her spouse, Dilip Khedkar—a retired official of the Maharashtra government—was initiated by the police following the emergence of a video that depicted her allegedly using a firearm to threaten individuals over a land dispute at Dhadwali village in Pune's Mulshi tehsil in 2023.

The Paud police in Pune rural had booked the Khedkar couple and five others under IPC sections 307, 144 (unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapon), 147 (rioting) and 506 (criminal intimidation) and also invoked the Arms Act against them.

On Saturday, the police had informed the JMFC court that they had recovered the pistol and the car used in the crime.

Puja Khedkar is under scrutiny for her claims regarding disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates in her Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) candidature and conduct during her posting at the Pune collector’s office.