Pooja Khedkar, the probationary Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer currently embroiled in controversy, has filed a police complaint alleging harassment against Pune District Collector Suhas Diwase. The complaint, lodged with the Washim police on July 15, was transferred to the Pune police on Tuesday night. According to police sources, the Crime Branch is likely to investigate the case, with Diwase’s statement expected to be recorded soon. The decision on whether to file a First Information Report (FIR) will be made following the probe.
“Women police personnel visited Khedkar at her residence in Washim on Monday when she lodged a complaint of harassment against Pune District Collector Suhas Diwase,” an official stated.
Khedkar has been under public scrutiny after reports emerged of her allegedly demanding perks and facilities she was not entitled to as a trainee IAS officer during her posting in Pune, where she served as assistant collector.
It was Pune District Collector Suhas Diwase who formally communicated Khedkar’s misconduct to the state chief secretary. In a detailed report dated June 24, Diwase outlined Khedkar’s “sense of entitlement” and behavioral issues during her probation period in Pune. The report alleged that Khedkar made outlandish demands and that her father, Deelip Khedkar, a retired IAS officer, intimidated district staff to fulfill these demands. Diwase noted that continuing Khedkar’s training in Pune would be inappropriate due to potential administrative issues, highlighting an instance where she refused an offered chamber because it did not have an attached bathroom.
Following Diwase’s complaint, the state government transferred the 32-year-old probationary IAS officer to Washim district as supernumerary assistant collector.
This development coincides with the Maharashtra government’s announcement on Tuesday that Khedkar’s district training program has been put on hold amid allegations of forging disability certificates to clear her civil services examination. Additionally, Khedkar has been summoned back to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie by July 23 for “necessary action.”
“You are hereby relieved from the district training program of the state government of Maharashtra… You are instructed to join the academy at the earliest but not later than 23rd July 2024 under any circumstance,” stated a letter issued by Additional Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, Nitin Gadre.
Khedkar, a 2023-batch officer, faces accusations of using fraudulent means to clear her civil services exam, including allegedly forging Other Backward Classes (OBC) non-creamy layer (NCL) certificates and disability certificates. She had submitted multiple medical certificates to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), one of which indicated visual impairment under the Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) provision.
Last week, the Union government established a one-member committee “to verify the candidature” of Khedkar, instructing it to submit a report within two weeks. Additionally, the Maharashtra chief secretary’s office and the director’s office of the LBSNAA have also launched inquiries into the allegations of forgery against Khedkar.
