IAS trainee Puja Khedkar, who was ordered by the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) to join the institute by July 23, failed to report on Tuesday. Khedkar has been missing since an FIR was lodged against her in Delhi.
Last week, a criminal case was registered against Khedkar for “misrepresenting and falsifying facts” following a thorough investigation by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) into allegations of misconduct. She is accused of manipulating her identity to exceed the permissible attempts for the civil services examination.
The UPSC’s statement revealed that Khedkar allegedly altered her name, parents’ names, photograph, signature, contact details, and address to appear for the exam multiple times. Additionally, Khedkar is accused of bullying and of using a red-blue beacon on a private Audi car with ‘Maharashtra Government’ written on it during her stint, indicating a high-ranking official.
The Commission has issued a show-cause notice regarding the cancellation of her candidature for the 2022 examination and is considering barring her from future exams. Delhi Police, in their statement, confirmed the filing of a complaint against Khedkar for misrepresenting facts to gain extra attempts in the UPSC examinations. The investigation has been taken up by the Crime Branch and involves charges of forgery, cheating, and misuse of the disability quota.
Khedkar, who was provisionally recommended for the Civil Services Examination in 2022, was serving in Maharashtra’s Washim during her probation. She reportedly left her post as news of the case broke. The Centre formed a single-member probe committee on July 11 to investigate her misuse of the disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) quotas.
Furthermore, the Pune Collector’s Office has directed an investigation into allegations of fraudulent disability certificates. This probe will target doctors and assistants involved in issuing false disability certificates, potentially leading to further cases against those implicated.
Khedkar, who secured the 821st rank in the civil services examination 2022 under the OBC category as a person with multiple disabilities, has been provisionally allocated to the IAS with Maharashtra as her cadre.
