Pune Police issues show cause notice to IAS probationer Puja Khedkar’s mother over misuse of licenced gun

Pune (Maharashtra) [India], July 14 (ANI): Manorama Khedkar, mother of IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, was issued a show cause notice by Pune Police on June 13 over the misuse of a licenced gun.

Pune Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar issued a show cause notice to Puja Khedkar’s mother after Manorama Khedkar, the Sarpanch of Bhalgaon village in Ahmednagar, was seen waving a pistol during a heated argument in a viral video.

A show cause notice issued by Kumar to Pooja Khedkar’s mother, Manorama Khedkar, has been pasted, as no one turned up to receive the notice.

The notice states that Manorama Khedkar has to respond as to why her gun licence should not be cancelled. She has been asked to respond within 10 days.

A case has been registered against her under the Arms Act in the Pune rural police jurisdiction on the complaint of a local farmer who alleged that Manorama Khedkar and others had threatened him.

Following a string of controversies, Puja was recently transferred from Pune to Washim district. The Central Government has set up a committee to investigate these allegations.

Earlier on Saturday, Puja Khedkar refused to comment on the centre setting up a panel to probe her candidature.

Puja Khedkar, who was transferred to Washim from Pune following the allegations, said she was not authorised to speak on this matter.

“I am not authorised to say anything on this matter. I am not permitted to speak on this matter as per government rule,” she said.

The controversy surrounding trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar from the 2023 batch in Maharashtra, has intensified with fresh allegations against her and her family.

Puja is under scrutiny for allegedly abusing her authority and submitting fraudulent disability and caste certificates to qualify for the civil services exam.

She was accused of various corruption cases, including unauthorised use of a vehicle equipped with a beacon light and demanding privileges such as a separate office, official vehicle, and staff, which are not typically granted to trainee officers.

On Thursday, the central government constituted a single-member committee to verify the candidature claims and other details of Khedkar following a controversy over her alleged misuse of power as a civil servant.

The Ministry of Personnel announced in a statement, emphasising that the committee is chaired by a senior officer of the rank of Additional Secretary under the Central Government and that it will submit its report in two weeks.

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 antechamber as her office.

Khedkar allegedly submitted fake disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates to clear the civil services exam. 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 the COVID infection.