Trainee IAS Puja Khedkar Controversy Deepens, Pune Hospital Says 'Issued 7% Disability Certificiate...'

The controversy surrounding probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar has intensified with revelations that she was found to have a 7% locomotor disability in her left knee, while the benchmark for availing government benefits is a 40% disability. Dr. Rajendra Wable, Dean of Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital in Pune while speaking to ANI confirmed that IAS trainee Puja Khedkar was issued a disability certificate in August 2022.

Meanwhile, the controversial trainee IAS has also been accused of submitting a non-creamy layer OBC certificate to secure admission to an MBBS program in 2007. According to Arvind Bhore, Director of Shrimati Kashibai Navale Medical College and General Hospital, Khedkar secured her seat through the AMUPDMC entrance test, scoring 146 out of 200 marks. She was part of the college's first batch in 2007.

#WATCH | Pune | On Disability certificate to IAS trainee Puja Khedkar, Dr Rajendra Wable, Dean, Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital says, "A disability certificate was issued to her in August 2022 by YCM hospital. Benchmark disability is 40% to avail benefits given by govt. She… pic.twitter.com/peFyRHhM9i

— ANI (@ANI) July 16, 2024

Bhore mentioned that although Khedkar had also taken the CET exams, her higher score in the AMUPDMC exam secured her admission. The AMUPDMC exam has since been replaced by NEET. Khedkar obtained her seat under the reserved Nomadic Tribe-3 category by submitting a non-creamy layer OBC certificate.

Bhore confirmed that all documents, including the non-creamy layer certificate from the Vanjari community, were verified and found to be authentic government records issued by the Ahmednagar district authorities. He also stated that Khedkar had submitted a medical fitness certificate.

However, Pune RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar raised concerns about Khedkar's eligibility, alleging that her father's assets, worth Rs 40 crore, disqualify her from the OBC non-creamy layer category, which is reserved for those with an annual parental income under Rs 8 lakh.

Pune RTI Activist Raises Concerns Over Puja Khedkar's OBC Status

"In his Lok Sabha election affidavit, her father, Dilip Khedkar, stated a conservative estimated wealth of Rs 40 crore and an annual income of Rs 49 lakh. The information is freely available to anyone. According to the election affidavit filed by her father during the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, Khedkar's father's total assets amount to Rs 40 crore," Kumbhar claimed.

"This raises the question of how Puja Khedkar could fall into the OBC non-creamy layer category. A detailed investigation must be conducted on how she was appointed as an IAS officer in that category," he added. Kumbhar believes that Puja Khedkar's IAS application and background should be investigated in order to uncover the truth.

"I did some research and it has been revealed in the research that either Puja Khedekar gave a non-creamy layer certificate or her father had been lying in the election affidavit, whatever it is, all these things need to be investigated and the truth must come to the fore," says Kumbhar.

Khedkar has been accused of abusing her authority and submitting fraudulent disability and caste certificates in order to qualify for the civil service examination. She has been charged with a variety of corruption offences, including unauthorised use of a vehicle equipped with a beacon light and demanding privileges such as a separate office, official vehicle, and staff that are typically not granted to trainee officers.