What’s The Hell Going On with IAS Trainee Puja!

After the NTA (National Testing Agency) and the central government recently went through intense scrutiny and criticism due to the NEET exam scam, the UPSC (Union Public Service Commission), responsible for conducting exams to hire government officers and civil servants is now facing the same music thanks to a IAS officer trainee, whose jarring acts of cheating and sheer entitlement have recently come to light.

Puja Khedkar, a probationary IAS officer, cracked the exams with an All India Rank of 821. After her training, she was sent to the Pune Collectorate to work as an assistant collector. She soon began to demand facilities that are usually not given to officers till they are confirmed into the service.

32-year old Puja allegedly used a red-blue beacon on her private Audi car, which is also not allowed. In addition to all of this, Puja demanded for a separate office and when she wasn’t given one, she occupied the chamber of her senior, additional collector Ajay More without permission, even going as far as to removing his furniture without the officer’s consent. Suhas Diwase, the district collector of Pune, sent a complaint to the Maharashtra government, which is when the case came into light.

But this is not even the worst part of the case. When initial reports of Puja’s brazen demands first came out, an RTI was filed by activist Vijay Kumbhar, which revealed glaring acts of cheating. Puja Khedkar comes from a well-to-do family. Her father Diliprao Khedkar was an IAS officer turned politician who recently declared assets worth ₹40 crore in his affidavit, before contesting for the Lok Sabha Elections in Ahmednagar, Maharashtra. And yet, despite coming from a wealthy background, Puja claimed to be from the “non-creamy” layer of OBCs, thus availing reservations in the exam.

Puja had also claimed a disability quota, citing both visual disability and mental illness. This claim was actually questioned by the Central Administration Tribunal, because she failed to provide medical certificates to prove her disability. When UPSC asked Puja to undergo a medical exam at AIIMS, she refused to go, postponing the test multiple times. Eventually, her test results were accepted and she got confirmed into the service.

Now, her medical reports and disability claims are being questioned again, considering Puja does not seem to have any visual disability. After all these reports came out, Puja began to wear glasses. An investigation on her claims and behaviour has been reopened again.

With citizens, especially UPSC aspirants, all over the country rightfully outraging over her appointment and demanding that she get sacked, Puja silently got transferred from Pune to Washim. Reservation, as it is, is a sensitive topic for many and to see someone wrongfully use them to get into the topmost service of the country is pretty disappointing. All eyes are now on UPSC and the Maharashtra Government, to deliver justice and set right this glaring omission of accountability in their selection process.