The IAS Officer Pooja Khedkar came into the spotlight after controversy over her misuse of power. The allegations against the trainee IAS officer are under investigation, law enforcement has found new leads that will surely increase the difficulty of Pooja Kedkar. Let’s know who Pooja Khedkar is and what’s the whole controversy about.
Trainee IAS Officer Pooja Khedkar
Pooja Khedkar is a 2023-batch IAS officer from Maharashtra Cadre. She is 32 years old and hails from a family of bureaucrats. Her father Deelip Khedkar is a retired IAS officer who has stepped into politics now. Mr. Khedkar has contested the 18th Lok Sabha elections from Maharashtra Ahmednagar constituency as a member of the Vanchi Bahujan Aghadi Party (VBA).
Pooja Khedkar secured the all-India rank 841 in the UPSC examination. According to reports and her interviews, she claims she cleared UPSC in 2019 and was allocated the Indian Revenue Service (IRS). However, it was pending due to a technical issue in OBC allocation. She again attempted for the UPSC exam in 2021 under the PwBD category and OBC quota.
According to the news, she is a trainee doctor, who was admitted to Kashibai Navale Medical College for MBBS in 2007 under OBC Nomadic tribe-3. She belongs to the Vanjari Community. Her mother Manorama Khedkar has also come into the spotlight after an FIR against her based on the viral video where she was seen threatening a farmer with a pistol in her hand.
| Name | Pooja Khedkar |
| Profession | Probationary IAS officer |
| Age | 32 years old |
| Father Name | Deelip Khedkar |
| Profession | Retired IAS Officer and Politics |
| Mother’s Name | Manorama Khedhkar |
| Sibling | Piyush Khedkar |
| Residence | Pune |
Allegations against Pooja Khedkar
The 2023-batch probationary IAS officer of Maharashtra was posted to Pune as an Assistant Collector has the following allegations:
- Misuse of Power: According to reports, the IAS officer demanded a separate office, staff, and an official car before taking charge as Assistant Collector on 3 June 2024. She repeatedly called the Collector officer regarding her demands despite being told that she was not entitled to such facilities during her probation period.
According to reports, she occupied the Pune Additional Collector Ajay More’s office in his absence and rearranged the office, which is highly wrong. She also uses a VIP number plate and Maharashtra Government sticker on her private red-blue beacon luxury car, which is not appropriate for a trainee officer.
- Disability Certificate Authenticity: After coming into the spotlight, many reports came, where people questioned her disability and OBC certificate authenticity. She has submitted her Civil services exam under the Disability and OBC-Creamy layer certificate. According to the norms, the annual parental income of OBC-CL should be under 8 lakh, whereas her father’s property is worth ₹40 crore.
His election affidavit states his property and assets, which put the question to her claiming the OBC CL category. In 2022, the Commission issued a notice of her claiming multiple disabilities under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. She was asked for a medical assessment to assess the percentage of her disability, which she refused multiple times before going with examinations, the results are still unknown.
- Putting pressure on police to release an accused: According to reports, the IAS Officer put pressure on police to release an accused under a theft case stating he was innocent.
Current Scenario of IAS Officer Pooja Khedkar
After misconduct and other allegations were discovered, the case was filed against the IAS officer, and the investigation began. This week, the IAS officer was transferred from Pune to the Washim district. A one-year-old video of Manorama Khedkar has surfaced on social media, leading to an FIR against the probationary IAS officer, her father, her mother, and other members.
According to reports, the accused has turned off their phones and is probably hiding from law enforcement. The Khdekars are not cooperating with the investigation, multiple teams are searching for the family members in Pune and nearby locations to question them and take further action in the probe. The police have recently seized her car under investigation.
The central government has created single-member committees to verify the claims and other details of Pooja Khdekar’s 2022 UPSC examinations. The committee will be chaired by a senior rank officer, the officer will submit the reports in 2 weeks. The Pune Municipal Corporation will also take action against Pooja Khedkar’s family bungalow and nearby locations under illegal encroachment.
IAS Officer Pooja Khedkar Net Worth
According to reports, Ms.Khedkar possesses properties like apartments, plots, etc. worth ₹22 crore. She owns many luxury cars and has partnerships with two companies. Some sources revealed that her annual income is over ₹45 lakhs with assets of ₹17 crores. Pooja Khedkar has a lavish lifestyle, she owns gold and diamond jewelry over 900 grams.
The controversy of probationary IAS Officer Pooja Khedkar is under investigation, the family is on the run, so let’s see what happens in the future.
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