The Centre on Friday discharged probationer Puja Khedkar from the Indian Administrative Service, reported The Hindu.
This came five weeks after the Union Public Service Commission revoked Khedkar’s selection as a trainee officer and permanently banned her from all the examinations it conducts. She had been serving as an assistant collector in Pune.
While serving officers may be dismissed, probationers are discharged.
The Department of Personnel and Training said in its Friday order: “The Central Government discharges Ms Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, IAS Probationer, from the Indian Administrative Service under Rule 12 of IAS (Probation) Rules, 1954, with immediate effect.”
Rule 12 states that probationers may be discharged “if the Central Government is satisfied that the probationer was ineligible for recruitment to the Service or is unsuitable for being a member of the Service”.
The controversy around Khedkar’s selection erupted after Pune-based Right to Information activist Vijay Kumbhar alleged that she had become a civil services officer by availing benefits under the Other Backward Classes quota.
In this category, persons with parents having an annual income of more than Rs 8 lakh are classified in the “creamy layer” and are not eligible for reservation benefits.
Khedkar’s father, Diliprao Khedkar, had unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Lok Sabha election as a Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi candidate. Kumbhar claimed that according to his election affidavit, his declared wealth was Rs 40 crore.
Diliprao Khedkar is a retired officer of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board.
Puja Khedkar had been booked on July 19 for forgery, a day after she was issued a show cause notice for cancelling her candidature in the 2022 Civil Services Examination.
She was also accused of falsely claiming to be visually and mentally impaired and allegedly did not undergo medical tests to validate these claims.
Khedkar had reportedly sought the appointment of staffers – including a constable for security – along with a house and car. Trainee officers are not entitled to these facilities.
She was also accused of using a red and blue beacon and a “Government of Maharashtra” sticker on her private car in contravention of service rules.
The Union government received at least 1,084 complaints of persons securing government jobs using fraudulent caste certificates between 2010 and 2019.
At least 92 public servants were dismissed from their positions for using fake caste certificates during the nine years of inquiry, according to the data shared by the Department of Personnel and Training.
Also read: Why allegations that trainee IAS officer misused quota are a body blow to disability rights
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