PUNE: Maharashtra OBC welfare minister Atul Save on Thursday said a probe will be initiated to scrutinise whether probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar belonged to the non-creamy layer OBC category as claimed by her while appearing in the UPSC exams held on Oct 6, 2021.
The decision comes in the wake of circulation of details from her father Dilip Khedkar‘s recent LS poll affidavit, which mentions assets worth Rs 40 crore.The annual income threshold for seeking quota under non-creamy layer OBC category is Rs 8 lakh. “The social justice department will take cognizance of the issue and conduct a thorough inquiry to ascertain how she obtained the non-creamy layer certificate,” Save said.
Earlier, RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar said on X that Khedkar’s parents possess properties that include 110 acres of agricultural land, six shops totalling 1.6 lakh sq ft, seven flats, 900 grams of gold, diamonds, a gold watch worth Rs 17 lakh and four cars besides partnerships in two private companies and one automobile firm. “Puja herself possesses property worth Rs 17 crore,” he added.
Kumbhar said that he collated these details from Dilip’s election affidavit which was posted on EC’s website.
The DoPT website has details of the immovable properties for the year 2023 held by Puja which are located in Mhalunge, Dhadavali, Nandur, Pachinda and Savedi in Ahmednagar and Kondhwa in Pune. The present value as stated by her is about Rs 17.2 cr while the annual income from the property is about 42 lakh, the details show.
Questions have also been raised over Puja giving the UPSC exam under the people with disabilities (PwD) category. In 2021, she had approached Bombay HC pleading that she be allowed to appear in the exam in this category and the court had passed an interim order granting permission for the Oct 6 exam.
The following year, Puja moved CAT’s Mumbai bench seeking directions to Union ministry of social justice and empowerment, ministry of personnel and UPSC, among others, to make provisions for PwDs as covered under section 34(d) of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act. According to her, she was suffering from mental illness and partial blindness.
As she had appeared for the exam, clearing both mains and interview, her name was sent to DoPT, which referred her for medical test at AIIMS Delhi. She was later also asked to undergo an MRI scan of the brain by a neuro ophthalmologist to ascertain loss of her vision in both eyes. However, the percentage of visual disability could not be assessed as her medical examination had to be rescheduled due to varied reasons given by her, including a Covid infection in April 2022 and claustrophobia.
The CAT bench, while dismissing her application, said: “If any candidate refuses to participate and cooperate with the procedure of medical examination as advised by the medical board, such a candidate cannot be considered for recruitment and his/ her candidature is liable for cancellation.”
Further details of her appeal were not available at the time of going to press.
When contacted, Dilip said, “The OBC certificate has been granted as per rules. The UPSC examination is the toughest and so the selection procedure should not be questioned. Media is requested to not carry wrong trial runs otherwise it will destroy the life of anybody.” He also justified her candidature in the PwD category, saying that as per Persons with Benchmark Disabilities Act, 2016, “90% of disabilities are not visible”.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra chief secretary Sujata Saunik said that a report had been prepared regarding Puja and it would be submitted to the Mussoorie-based Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration. “We will await their guidance. The decision now rests with the academy to assess the details and determine the appropriate course of action.”
The decision comes in the wake of circulation of details from her father Dilip Khedkar‘s recent LS poll affidavit, which mentions assets worth Rs 40 crore.The annual income threshold for seeking quota under non-creamy layer OBC category is Rs 8 lakh. “The social justice department will take cognizance of the issue and conduct a thorough inquiry to ascertain how she obtained the non-creamy layer certificate,” Save said.
Earlier, RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar said on X that Khedkar’s parents possess properties that include 110 acres of agricultural land, six shops totalling 1.6 lakh sq ft, seven flats, 900 grams of gold, diamonds, a gold watch worth Rs 17 lakh and four cars besides partnerships in two private companies and one automobile firm. “Puja herself possesses property worth Rs 17 crore,” he added.
Kumbhar said that he collated these details from Dilip’s election affidavit which was posted on EC’s website.
The DoPT website has details of the immovable properties for the year 2023 held by Puja which are located in Mhalunge, Dhadavali, Nandur, Pachinda and Savedi in Ahmednagar and Kondhwa in Pune. The present value as stated by her is about Rs 17.2 cr while the annual income from the property is about 42 lakh, the details show.
Questions have also been raised over Puja giving the UPSC exam under the people with disabilities (PwD) category. In 2021, she had approached Bombay HC pleading that she be allowed to appear in the exam in this category and the court had passed an interim order granting permission for the Oct 6 exam.
The following year, Puja moved CAT’s Mumbai bench seeking directions to Union ministry of social justice and empowerment, ministry of personnel and UPSC, among others, to make provisions for PwDs as covered under section 34(d) of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act. According to her, she was suffering from mental illness and partial blindness.
As she had appeared for the exam, clearing both mains and interview, her name was sent to DoPT, which referred her for medical test at AIIMS Delhi. She was later also asked to undergo an MRI scan of the brain by a neuro ophthalmologist to ascertain loss of her vision in both eyes. However, the percentage of visual disability could not be assessed as her medical examination had to be rescheduled due to varied reasons given by her, including a Covid infection in April 2022 and claustrophobia.
The CAT bench, while dismissing her application, said: “If any candidate refuses to participate and cooperate with the procedure of medical examination as advised by the medical board, such a candidate cannot be considered for recruitment and his/ her candidature is liable for cancellation.”
Further details of her appeal were not available at the time of going to press.
When contacted, Dilip said, “The OBC certificate has been granted as per rules. The UPSC examination is the toughest and so the selection procedure should not be questioned. Media is requested to not carry wrong trial runs otherwise it will destroy the life of anybody.” He also justified her candidature in the PwD category, saying that as per Persons with Benchmark Disabilities Act, 2016, “90% of disabilities are not visible”.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra chief secretary Sujata Saunik said that a report had been prepared regarding Puja and it would be submitted to the Mussoorie-based Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration. “We will await their guidance. The decision now rests with the academy to assess the details and determine the appropriate course of action.”
