If anyone’s name has been surrounded by controversies the fastest since becoming an IAS, it is Maharashtra cadre IAS officer Pooja Khedkar. Be it the allegation of age fraud, caste scam or the issue of false disability certificate, Pooja is under attack from all sides. Now amidst this siege, DOPT i.e. Department of Personnel and Training has served him a show cause notice and asked him about the allegations against him. They have to answer this by August 2.
It depends on Pooja Khedkar’s answer whether she will be able to work as an IAS further or her services will be terminated forever. DOPT i.e. Department of Personnel and Training comes directly under the Prime Minister. In this notice issued by the same DoPT on July 26, he has been asked to either appear in person and present his views. In this, Pooja also has an option that if she wants, she can give a written reply to the Department of Personnel and Training.
With this notice, DoPT has made it clear that if Pooja does not respond to this, then DoPT will take further action and if the insiders of the department are to be believed, then this action will be up to snatching the post of an IAS from Pooja as well as terminating her. Anything can happen. Citing the report of the one-member inquiry committee of UPSC, the Crime Branch of Delhi Police has already registered a criminal case against Pooja Khedkar. This includes charges under sections of forgery, fraud and IT Act.
Let us find out what are the serious allegations against Pooja Khedkar that have surrounded her from all sides…
Allegation No. 1: Rigging in the name of age
Occupying her senior’s room and showing her dominance by putting red and blue lights on her private vehicle cost Pooja Khedkar so much that UPSC started an investigation against her. For this, a one-member committee was formed. The biggest scam that this committee uncovered regarding Pooja becoming an IAS is the age fraud. According to the UPSC report, Pooja took the exam more than the maximum limit allowed under UPSC rules for selection in the UPSC exam. Have taken advantage of it.
The investigation revealed that he had fraudulently attempted to gain advantage by creating a fake identity by changing his name, his father’s and mother’s name, his photograph/signature, his email ID, mobile number and address, in excess of the permissible limit under the examination rules. raised. Actually, candidates get different opportunities under different categories to appear in the UPSC exam. For example, any candidate of general category can give UPSC exam a total of six times before the age of 32 years.
Under the OBC category, there is a relaxation to appear in the examination a total of 9 times till the age of 35 years. Whereas under SC/ST quota, one can appear in the UPSC examination till the age of 37 years. It is clear from this statement of UPSC that Pooja Khedkar appeared for the exam more times than the prescribed limit to clear the exam. For this, every time he took the help of a new name and new identity.
Accusation number 2: Changing even the names of parents
Now when the age related fraud had to be done, the caste also had to be changed and to change the caste, he even changed the name of his parents after holding a puja. UPSC has said in its investigation report that Pooja Khedkar changed her name, her father’s and mother’s name, her photo, signature, her e-mail ID, mobile number and address and took the UPSC exam more times than the prescribed limit. .
Allegation No. 3: Creamy life, benefit of non-creamy layer
Pooja Khedkar passed the UPSC exam from OBC non-creamy layer quota, while she herself has property worth around Rs 17 to 20 crores in her name. It also brings in rent of lakhs of rupees. Now the criteria for non-creamy layer students appearing in the UPSC exam is that their annual income should be less than Rs 8 lakh. In fact, in the recently held Lok Sabha elections, Pooja’s father Dilip Khedkar had also jumped into the fray. He lost the election, but the details of his assets submitted to the Election Commission are now in trouble for him as well as his IAS daughter. Has gone. Since apart from himself, he had also given information about his wife and daughter in the property details, it came to light that the entire family is half a billionaire. That means Pooja does not come from the non-creamy layer.
Allegation No. 4: Is the report of knee disability also false?
There is also an allegation against Pooja Khedkar of taking advantage in the IAS examination by falsely declaring herself disabled. Actually, Pune’s Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital had declared Pooja seven percent disabled. He was diagnosed with locomotor disability in his left knee. But the report of the physiotherapy department of the same hospital says that Pooja Khedkar does not have any disability. This means that now the hospital administration itself is under the scanner regarding Pooja’s disability certificate.
Allegation No. 5: Deception of sight or manipulation of sight?
As if these scams and allegations till now were less, then in the investigation of UPSC it became clear that Pooja had falsely stated that she had mental problems and her eyesight was weak in order to pass the UPSC exam. Pooja had given a certificate for this in UPSC. According to this medical certificate, he has mental problems and weak eyesight. The light is going out. Regarding mental problem, he told that he cannot remember things. There is a regular disabled quota for such students in UPSC.
Here Pooja had many weapons. OBC was the weapon of non-creamy layer and also the attack of disability. On the strength of these two weapons, she cleared the UPSC exam and became an IAS in 2022 with All India Rank 821. However, if Pooja’s total marks, including written test and interview, had been the same for any general category student, then there was no question that she would have been able to pass the exam.
According to the rules, before posting, UPSC asked Pooja for all the proofs of disability. For this, UPSC decided to get Pooja examined in AIIMS. UPSC considers only the reports of government hospitals. UPSC wanted to confirm through this report that Pooja really has mental illness and her eyesight is weak. UPSC took appointments from doctors at AIIMS a total of six times for Pooja’s medical test. But you will be surprised to know that Pooja kept avoiding the test by making excuses every time. This also went against Pooja in the UPSC investigation.
