What Puja Khedkar Wrote in Her Letter to Govt: ‘Subjected to Insults’

Details of what former IAS trainee officer Puja Khedkar, whose candidature for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) was recently cancelled amid a growing controversy, had written in a letter to the Maharashtra Additional Chief Secretary last month have emerged.

In her letter dated July 11, Khedkar tried to clarify her stand and accused Pune district commissioner Suhas Diwase of “insulting” her from the very first day of her training in the Pune constituency, it was reported Indian Express.

According to the report, Khedkar mentioned in the letter that she was extremely concerned when Diwase complained to higher authorities about the former IAS trainee’s “polite style of conduct” and subsequent media reports on the same.

“Due to this (letter and media coverage), my image in the public eye has become that of an arrogant officer. This is causing me mental trauma and I am very worried… I don’t know why, but from the day I joined as a probationary officer, the Pune Collector has been subjecting me to abusive behaviour,” Khedkar wrote in a three-page letter written in Marathi, reports Indian Express.

The IAS trainee was also accused of removing the nameplate of a senior official at the Pune Income Tax Collector’s office when he allowed her to use his hallway as his office.

In response, Khedkar explained that Additional Collector Ajay More had voluntarily offered her the antechamber and instructed his staff to prepare it for her.

“The staff enquired about my requirements and arranged for stationery etc. On returning to the office a day later, Diwase sir, the District Collector, someone informed him about my seating arrangement in the vestibule of the Additional Collector. He was perhaps angered by this and called the tehsildar concerned and ordered my furniture to be removed from the vestibule,” she wrote, as quoted by Indian Express.

Khedkar stated that while she tried to talk to Diwase, he refused to listen to any explanation. She added that she even apologised to him and told him that she would accept whatever decision he made regarding her seating arrangement.

Diwase, however, denied all Khedkar’s allegations, calling them “nonsense”.

Puja Khedkar Case

Khedkar found herself in the middle of a controversy over her alleged misuse of power as a civil servant last month after it came to light that she was using her private Audi car with a red and blue signal light and a VIP number plate. According to a report submitted by Pune Income Tax Collector Suhas Diwse to the General Administration Department, Khedkar had repeatedly demanded that she be provided with a separate cabin, car, living quarters and a peon even before joining service as a trainee on June 3. However, she was denied these facilities. After this, it was alleged, Khedkar’s father, a retired administrative officer, allegedly put pressure on the district tax collector’s office to ensure that the IAS trainee’s demands were met.

She was also accused of “misrepresenting information” in her application form to appear for the 2022 UPSC Civil Services Examination. Khedkar was also accused of cheating and wrongfully availing OBC benefits and disability allowance amounts.

Amid the mounting controversy, Khedkar had moved the Delhi High Court on July 8 challenging the district court’s decision to deny her anticipatory bail. The Subramonium Prasad bench is scheduled to hear the plea on Monday, August 12.

Meanwhile, on July 31, the UPSC cancelled Khedkar’s recruitment and permanently barred her from all future exams and recruitments.