Puja Khedkar may be dismissed if she's found guilty, sources said. Trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar , who is in the eye of a storm over alleged misuse of power and claims that she made in her UPSC candidature, has landed in more trouble with the central government launching a probe against her. Ms Khedkar had courted controversy over using a siren on her private Audi and raising demands for a separate house and car - privileges not available to junior officers.
But the 2023-batch IAS officer now faces far more serious charges that raise questions about her selection process in the civil services. Manoj Dwivedi, additional secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), has started the investigation against her, which will be completed in two weeks. She may be dismissed if she's found guilty, sources said.
She may also face criminal action if the allegations of hiding facts and misrepresentation are found to be true, they added. When confronted by the media, she has remained tight-lipped on the charges against her, maintaining she was "not authorised" to speak about the matter. Ms Khedkar, who was posted as an assistant collector in Pune, was transferred to Washim after the Pune Collector raised a complaint with the Chief Secretary of the state government.
The action came after she was found using a siren and a "Government of Maharashtra" sticker on her private luxury sedan. She was also found using the Pune Additional Collector Ajay More's office while he was aw.