The Centre on Thursday formed a panel to investigate allegations that probationary Indian Administrative Service officer Puja Khedkar misused disability concessions and the Other Backward Classes quota, the Hindustan Times reported.

The committee will look into Khedkar’s candidature claims, including those about being visually and mentally impaired and about belonging to the non-creamy layer of the Other Backward Classes. The panel has been asked to submit a report in two weeks.

Khedkar has been at the centre of controversy since earlier this month, when allegations surfaced that she sought the appointment of staffers, including a constable, as well as a separate house and car – facilities that she was not entitled to as a probationary officer. She was also accused of using a red and blue beacon and a “Government of Maharashtra” sticker on her private car.

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Khedkar was said to have appeared for the Union Public Service Commission exam in 2022, claiming to be visually impaired and mentally ill. However, she allegedly did not undergo medical tests to validate her claims, according to NDTV.

Pune-based Right to Information activist Vijay Kumbhar alleged that Khedkar became a civil services officer in the Other Backward Class quota. In this category, those whose parents’ annual income is more than Rs 8 lakh are classified in the creamy layer.

The IAS official’s father, Diliprao Khedkar, had unsuccessfully contested this year’s Lok Sabha election as a Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi candidate. Kumbhar claimed that his election affidavit showed his wealth to be around Rs 40 crore, The Hindu reported.

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Diliprao Khedkar is a retired Maharashtra Pollution Control Board officer.

On Friday, Puja Khedkar said she was not authorised to comment on the allegations on account of government rules. She joined the Washim district administration in Maharashtra on Thursday to complete the rest of her training.