Probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who is under fire for alleged misuse of power and privileges, may be terminated from the service or face criminal charges if found guilty, official sources said. Khedkar came into the limelight after reports emerged about her alleged demands for a separate office, official car and unauthorised use of a red beacon light on a private Audi car. Questions have also been raised about her Other Backward Classes (non-creamy layer) status.
On Thursday, the Centre constituted a single-member committee "to verify the candidature" of the 2023-batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre. In a statement, the Centre said the probe would be conducted by an additional secretary-rank officer to verify the claims over Khedkar's candidature and other details. Here are the top developments in the matter: 1.
Sources told news agency PTI, "The officer may be terminated from the service if found guilty . She may face criminal charges also in case she is found to have misrepresented a fact or done any sort of manipulation in documents relied upon for her selection." 2.
A single-member probe committee of Manoj Kumar Dwivedi, Additional Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training, was to submit its report within two weeks. "The Central Government has constituted a single-member committee, chaired by a senior officer of the rank of Additional Secretary to the Government of India, to verify the candidature claims and other details of IAS Puja Manorma Dilip.