Who is Pooja Khedkar? 6 things about controversial trainee IAS officer in Maharashtra

Pooja Khedkar, a probationary IAS officer posted in Pune, was transferred to Washim in central Maharashtra on Tuesday after she was found at the centre of a controversy over her alleged misuse of power as a civil servant. According to an official order, Pooja Khedkar will complete the remaining term of her training in Washim until July 30, 2025.

Who is Pooja Khedkar and what is the controversy?

Pooja Khedkar is a 2022-batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre. According to reports, she secured an All India Rank (AIR) of 841 in the UPSC exam.

Recently, Pooja Khedkar sparked a controversy when she used her private Audi car with a red-blue beacon light and VIP number plate.

She also demanded facilities that are not available to probationary officers in the IAS. According to a report submitted by Pune collector Suhas Diwse to the General Administration Department, Khedkar repeatedly demanded that she be provided with a separate cabin, car, residential quarters, and a peon even before joining the duty as a trainee on June 3. However, she was denied the facilities.

Khedkar’s father, a retired administrative officer, reportedly pressured the district collector’s office to ensure that the trainee IAS officer’s demands were fulfilled.

The IAS trainee was also accused of removing the nameplate of a senior official at the Pune collector’s office when he allowed her to use his ante-chamber as her office.

Khedkar allegedly submitted fake disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates to clear the civil services exam, reported PTI. Reports claimed that she had also submitted a mental illness certificate. In April 2022, she was asked to report at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, for verification of her disability certificate, but she did not do so, citing Covid infection, PTI reported.