Puja Khedkar's father booked for altercation at Pune collector's office ‘seeking cabin for daughter’
Dilip Khedkar was charged with threatening the officials in Pune over the allotment of a “separate cabin for his daughter (Puja Khedkar).”
A First Information Report (FIR) was filed in Maharashtra against Dilip Khedkar, the father of former trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, for allegedly having an altercation with officials at the Pune Collector's office in June.
He was charged with threatening the officials over the allotment of a "separate cabin for his daughter." The charges include threatening and obstructing a public servant in discharging their duties.
“A case has been registered under IPC sections 186, 504 and 506 at Bundgarden Police station last night,” DCP Smarthna Patil, Pune Police has been quoted as saying by PTI.
“The complaint says that during Puja Khedkar's posting as an assistant collector, Dilip Khedkar allegedly used threatening language against tehsildar Dipak Akade, asking him to allot a cabin for his daughter even as he had no right to interfere in the administrative functioning,” an official said.
According to the police, the case was registered at the Bundgarden police station following a complaint from a tehsildar-level officer at the Pune district collectorate.
Dilip Khedkar, a retired government official, was also implicated in a criminal intimidation case filed by the Paud police in Pune. This case involved his wife, Manorama, who was accused of brandishing a gun at someone in the Mulshi area over a land dispute.
Dilip Khedkar got an anticipatory bail in that case, while his wife, Manorama, who was arrested by the Pune rural police, was recently released on bail by the court.
Delhi HC to hear Puja Khedkar's anticipatory bail plea on August 12
On Friday, the Delhi High Court scheduled August 12 to hear Puja Khedkar's plea challenging a district court's denial of her anticipatory bail. The FIR against her alleges that she falsified her identity to gain more attempts than allowed in the civil services examination.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) cancelled Puja Khedkar's selection and permanently barred her from all future exams and selections.
She is currently untraceable following the FIR registered against her in Delhi, where she is accused of ‘misrepresenting information’ in her UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2022 application.
The 2023 batch officer is also charged with misusing her power and privileges by requesting perks and facilities she was not entitled to during her training at the Pune district collectorate.
In 2022, Khedkar received a 7 per cent locomotor disability certificate from Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital, even though the physiotherapy department reported no disability. She is accused of using this certificate to attempt the civil service exam more times than permitted, violating the regulations.