Puja Khedkar’s Mother Detained In Mahad, Anti-Graft Squad’s Lens On Her Father

Bhubaneswar: Manorama Khedkar, mother of probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar—who is embroiled in controversy over fake certificates and misuse of power— was detained early Thursday morning in Mahad.

According to reports, Pune rural police have detained her in connection with a viral video in which she can been seen brandishing a farmer with a gun. A case against Manorama, her husband Dilip and five others was lodged at Paud police station last week for allegedly threatening farmers with a gun.  She was expected to be arrested once the police team from Paud police station reached Mahad, Hindustan Times reported, quoting Superintendent of Police Pankaj Deshmukh.

According to the report, Manorama was found at Hotel Parvati in Mahad, Raigad district. She had been staying for three to four days.

It has been alleged that the Khedkar family didn’t respond to the multiple notices served to them. They were asked to be present for investigation. When police visited the family’s residence on Baner road in Pune, neither Manorama nor Dilip Khedkar were present, the reports claimed.

Meanwhile, after it came to the limelight that Puja had furnished an OBC certificate for her entry into the civil services even as her father’s income allegedly exceeded the non-creamy layer limit, the Anti Corruption Bureau has asked its Ahmedabad unit to probe into the unaccounted wealth charge against her father, Dilip.

A complaint was submitted in the ACB against Dilip’s unaccounted wealth a few months ago, the TOI reported.

The 2023-batch IAS officer has been under fire for seeking special privileges and faking certificates.

On Tuesday, Khedkar, facing a DoPT inquiry over documents submitted to secure her candidature in the civil services, was relieved from the District Training Programme of the Maharashtra government following a directive from Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie. She has been summoned her back to the Academy for “necessary action”.

It was alleged that the 32-year-old officer had demanded a separate office and official car, which she was not entitled to as a probationer. She was also accused of unauthorised use of red-blue beacon on her private car, a luxury Audi sedan which she claimed to have received as a “gift”.

Khedkar had secured an all-India rank of 841 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam.