Mother of IAS probationer Puja Khedkar arrested for alleged attempt to murder over land dispute

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], July 18 (ANI): A local court in Pune district, Maharashtra, has remanded Manorama Khedkar, the mother of IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, in police custody until July 20. She was arrested on Thursday for allegedly threatening a person with a gun over a land dispute in June last year.

After the arrest, Manorama Khedkar was produced before the Judicial Magistrate Court in Pune with a request for seven days of police custody.

The prosecution has informed the court that Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code was added to the FIR registered against Manorama Khedkar along with other sections related to unlawful assembly, rioting, criminal intimidation, and the Arms Act.

Manorama was arrested from a lodge in Raigad district, where she was hiding, and produced before a judicial magistrate. The prosecution alleged that Manorama, along with her husband and three others, threatened the complainant with a gun and added Section 307, stating that she put a gun to the complainant’s head and was about to pull the trigger.

The defence counsel opposed the police custody plea, arguing that the case against Manorama is an afterthought and that there are no valid contentions regarding Section 307 in the FIR. section 307 added after a supplementary statement of the complainant and other all sections in the FIR and available.

The Public Prosecutor also showed the viral video of the incident to the court and informed that the arrested accused is an influential person having contact in politics. Also there are other accused who need to be arrested therefore a custodial interrogation is required for probe the whereabouts of the other accused.

After hearing both sides, the court granted police custody until July 20. This development comes amidst controversy surrounding Puja Khedkar’s claims regarding disability and OBC certificates and her behaviour during her tenure at Pune Collector office.