Centre forms panel to look into row involving IAS officer Puja Khedkar

New Delhi/Mumbai: The Centre Thursday constituted a single-member Committee “to verify the candidature” of controversial probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, amid allegations she misused the disability and Other Backward Class quota to secure a position in the service.

In a statement, the Centre said the probe would be conducted by an additional secretary-rank officer to verify the candidature claims and other details of the 2023 batch officer, who has been allotted the Maharashtra cadre. The committee will submit its report in two weeks, the statement said.

In the meantime, Khedkar on Thursday assumed her new role as assistant collector at the Washim District Collectorate in the Vidarbha region after being transferred from Pune where she allegedly bullied everyone around and also placed a red beacon on her private Audi car.

Khedkar (34) has been under intense scrutiny for allegedly manipulating benefits under the physical disabilities category and OBC quota to secure her position in the Indian Administrative Service.

In a notable shift from her previous practices, Khedkar arrived at her Washim office on Thursday in a modest Bolero car, diverging from the extravagant Audi with red beacon light she had been associated with during her time in Pune.

Despite the mounting claims, Khedkar refrained from addressing the accusations, stating that government regulations prohibited her from commenting on the issue.

“I am happy to join duty at the Washim District Collectorate and am looking forward to working here,” the probationary officer said.

Asked about the allegations against her, Khedkar told reporters, “I am not authorised to speak on the issue. Government rules don’t provide (allow) me to speak on this.”