Delhi: The Central Government has taken stern action against former IAS officer Pooja Khedkar, dismissing her with immediate effect on Saturday. This action has been taken under Rule 12 of the IAS (Probation) Rules, 1954. Earlier, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) had canceled her IAS candidacy and filed a fraud case against her.
Fraud Allegations and Fake Certificates
On Friday, Pooja Khedkar told the Delhi High Court that she is willing to undergo a disability evaluation at AIIMS. She has filed an anticipatory bail application in the Delhi High Court. Khedkar’s plea came in response to Delhi Police’s accusation that her disability certificate might be fake. She is also accused of fraudulently claiming benefits under the Other Backward Class (OBC) and disability quotas.
In the previous hearing, Delhi Police argued in court that Khedkar had presented two certificates showing different types of disabilities. It was found during the investigation that one of the certificates might be fake, while the other could be fabricated. The police claim that Khedkar submitted two disability certificates for 2022 and 2023.
UPSC Canceled Candidacy on July 31
On July 31, UPSC canceled her candidacy and barred her from appearing in future exams. Khedkar has denied all allegations against her. On August 1, a Delhi court denied her anticipatory bail, citing serious charges that require thorough investigation. Khedkar challenged the lower court’s decision in the High Court, which stayed her arrest until September 26.
Who is Pooja Khedkar?
Pooja Khedkar is a former IAS officer of the 2023 batch. She secured an All India Rank of 841 in the 2022 Civil Services Exam. After passing the UPSC exam, she was appointed as an Assistant Collector in Pune during her training. She gained attention after demanding a separate chamber, a luxury car, and a house. Additionally, she faced controversy for using a red and blue beacon on her personal car with a Maharashtra government sticker. Following complaints, she was transferred to Washim.
In this regard, Right to Information activist Vijay Kumbhar has said that today the central government dismissed the trainee IAS Pooja Khedkar. Whatever Pooja Khedkar did to get into the IAS service is called a crime. Today, on the arrival of Lord Ganesha, it is good that this bad habit was dissolved. These cases have proved that even officers with such high protection can be removed from service if proper follow-up is done. Now it is expected that similar action should be taken against other chartered officers who are still in service despite defrauding the government.
This case highlights the government’s and judiciary’s firm stance against any form of irregularities and misconduct.