Who is Pooja Khedkar, IAS officer accused of faking disability to clear UPSC?

Pooja Khedkar, a 2022-batch IAS officer has been transferred from Pune to Washim for making demands she was not entitled to. Pune collector Suhas Diwse in a report said the 32-year-old officer repeatedly demanded that she be provided a separate cabin, car, residential quarters and a peon - privileges that are not granted to an officer in probation. The transfer was ordered after she installed a red-blue beacon light and a VIP number plate on her private Audi car.

Pooja Khedkar secured an All India Rank of 841 in the UPSC exam. But she is now facing allegations of indulging in malpractices to clear the civil services exam.

An official has alleged that Khedkar submitted fake disability and OBC certificates to clear the UPSC. She allegedly took the exam under visually impaired category and also submitted a mental illness certificate. According to the official, in April 2022, when Khedkar was asked to get her disability report verified at AIIMS Delhi, she refused to do so citing Covid.

The official further claimed that Pooja's father Dilip Khedkar is a former state government officer and while contesting the recent Lok Sabha election, had declared his property valued at ₹40 crore. Despite this, Pooja Khedkar appeared for the civil services exam under the OBC category, violating the creamy layer rule meant to aid people whose an annual parental income is less than ₹8 lakh.

All these allegations have surfaced after she kicked up the controversy with her demands as a trainee officer. Pooja Khedkar will now complete the remaining term of her training in Washim and will serve there as a "supernumerary assistant collector" till July 2025.