Entangled in the mess of misuse of her authority, the troubles of Maharashtra probationer IAS Puja Khedkar are increasing day by day. Now, the Pune Traffic Police have taken action against her.
Speaking about the issue, Pune Police Senior Officer Shafeel Pathan said, "21 unpaid challans worth ₹26,900 are pending on that car, and it is registered in the name of an engineering company at an address on Dehu Alandi Road. The challan issued for unauthorized use of a beacon is the 22nd pending challan."
Khedkar transferred to Washim
Puja Khedkar, a probationary IAS officer who secured an All India rank of 821 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams, has been accused of misusing her authority.
Khedkar has recently been transferred from Pune to the Washim district of Maharashtra following allegations of misusing her authority.
As an assistant collector in Pune, Khedkar was found to have availed facilities not entitled to probationary officers, including allegedly using a red-blue beacon and a "Maharashtra Government" board on her private Audi car.
However, using a beacon on a private car is a violation of traffic rules.
The Pune police arrived at the residence of the trainee IAS officer in Pune on Thursday. However, cops along with media had to face opposition from officer's mother.
She occupied ante-chamber of another officer
Additionally, she allegedly occupied the ante-chamber of Additional Collector Ajay More without permission, removed office furniture without consent, and requested unauthorised facilities.
Following a letter from Pune Collector Suhas Divase to the Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, Khedkar was transferred to Washim district, where she will complete her probationary period as a supernumerary assistant collector.
Her father pressurised officers
It has also been alleged that Khedkar's father, a retired administrative officer who recently contested the Lok Sabha election from the Ahmednagar seat on the Vanchit Aghadi ticket, had exerted pressure on the District Collector's office to fulfil his daughter's demands, adding to the controversy.
Pune RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar also raised questions about Khedkar's appointment alleging that she did not fall under the OBC non-creamy layer as her father had assets worth ₹40 crore.
"As per the rules, only those come under the OBC non-creme layer category whose parents are under ₹8 lac per annum of income, but their income shows that it is ₹40 crore. Her parents contested the recent Lok Sabha polls and all the property details are there in the affidavit," he said. "Her father, Dilip Khedkar, in his Lok Sabha polls affidavit, showed a conservative estimated wealth of ₹40 crore and an annual income of Rs 49 lakh. The information is in the public domain. Based on the election affidavit filed by her father in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, the total assets of Khedkar's father amount to ₹40 crore," Kumbhar claimed.
