Trainee IAS officer’s father defends her: ‘Asking for space to sit not a mistake’

Dilip Khedkar, father of the controversial trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, defended his daughter and refuted all the allegations levelled against her, claiming that she is being harassed without any fault on her part.

Speaking exclusively with India Today TV, Dilip Khedkar spoke about the controversy surrounding his daughter’s inappropriate demands and indiscipline during her stint in Pune as a probationary officer. He contended that asking for a space to sit is not a mistake.

Puja Khedkar, a 2023-batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, has been accused of misusing her powers as a civil servant after she allegedly demanded a separate office, a car, and a house for herself before joining as Assistant Collector in Pune.

“My daughter has not done anything wrong. Is a woman asking for a space to sit wrong? The matter is subjudice and a committee has been appointed to look into it. Let us all wait for the final verdict. All I can say is that someone is deliberately trying to make it an issue,” Dilip Khedkar said.

However, when asked to name the person he claimed to be orchestrating the controversy, Dilip did not name anyone.

When asked whether Puja applied under the creamy layer or non-creamy layer category, he said, “We will present our case to the committee. Legal proceedings are underway and it would not be appropriate to comment on the matter at this time. Everything was done according to the rules and there was no wrongdoing.

On the question of why Puja did not appear for an evaluation at AIIMS in Delhi for her multiple disabilities, Dilip said it was a half-truth.

“UPSC has rigorous rules. It involves a medical board of 20–25 people at the hospital, and it is impossible to submit fraudulent documents,” he said.

Puja Khedkar recently hit the headlines after she was transferred from Pune to Washim over her inappropriate demands and indiscipline. She had also unauthorisedly installed a beacon and Maharashtra state government insignia on her luxury Audi car.

There have also been allegations that she availed Other Backward Class (OBC) benefits as well as disability concessions to secure her position in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

The Centre has formed a one-member committee to probe her conduct and selection process.