A day after she was transferred following complaints of misuse of power, Pooja Khedkar, a trainee IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, has landed in fresh controversy.
Reports quoting officials claimed on Wednesday that Khedkar had submitted fake disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates to clear the civil services exam. She had also allegedly submitted a mental illness certificate.
They said though the probationary officer was asked several times to report at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) to undergo a mandatory medical test to confirm her disabilities, she refused to do so. According to an NDTV report, she skipped at least six appointments.
Dilip Khedkar, Khedkar's father and a former state government official, had contested the recent Lok Sabha elections and disclosed assets valued at Rs 40 crore in his poll affidavit.
However, for the OBC category under which Pooja Khedkar appeared for the civil services exam, the creamy layer certificate limitation is an annual parental income of Rs 8 lakh.
Khedkhar had got 841st rank in the UPSC examinations.
According to a report submitted to the General Administration Department by Pune collector Suhas Diwse, Khedkar had made repeated requests for a private cabin, car, living quarters, and a peon even before joining duty on June 3.
Khedkar was transferred from Pune to Washim on Tuesday after she was found using a red-blue beacon light and a VIP number plate for her private Audi car. "The 2023 batch IAS officer will serve the remaining period of her probation as Supernumerary Assistant Collector in Washim district," the transfer order said.