Trainee IAS Officer Puja Khedkar Lodges Harassment Plaint Against Pune Collector

Mumbai: Probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar has lodged a complaint of harassment against Pune district collector Suhas Diwase with Washim police.

According to reports, she lodged the complaint after women police personnel visited Khedkar at her residence in Washim on Monday. She had earlier refused to elaborate on the purpose of the visit by police personnel while speaking to TV news channels.

The 2023-batch IAS officer has been under fire for seeking special privileges and faking certificates. Earlier, the Maharashtra government had transferred Khedkar from the Pune Collector’s office to Washim based on the report submitted by Diwase to the Chief Secretary on June 24. The report was regarding her conduct of seeking special privileges not allowed for a probationary officer.

She joined the Washim district administration in Maharashtra on July 11 to complete her training amid demands for an in-depth probe into the circumstances of her recruitment.

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. Her mother, Manorama Khedkar, who is sarpanch of a Maharashtra village, is facing an Arms Act case after a video showed her brandishing a pistol during an argument, and father, Dilip Khedkar, a retired Maharashtra government officer, is a co-accused.