Pune, Jul 23 (PTI) The Centre has directed the Pune police to apprise it of the marital status of the parents of controversial IAS probationer Puja Khedkar amid allegations that she fraudulently availed of the OBC non-creamy layer benefit in the UPSC exam by claiming that they were separated, an official said. Khedkar is accused of misusing power and privileges by demanding perks and facilities she was not entitled for during her training in Pune district collectorate in Maharashtra recently. She was also accused of bullying everyone around and of placing a red-blue beacon (indicating high-ranking official) atop a private Audi (a luxury sedan) car used by her that also had 'Maharashtra Government' written on it during her stint.
A criminal case has been registered against her in Delhi last week for "misrepresenting and falsifying facts". The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has also issued a show-cause notice regarding the cancellation of her candidature for the 2022 examination and is considering barring her from future exams. Talking to PTI, a senior official of the Pune police confirmed that the central government has asked them to apprise it of whether the parents of Puja Khedkar - mother Manorama and father Dilip - were divorced.
"We have been asked to find out and inform to the central government about whether Puja Khedkar's parents were divorced. In a nutshell, it has asked us to verify the actual status of their marriage/divorce," the official said. The UPSC las.