Puja Khedkar dismissed from Administrative Service of India with immediate effect- Firstpost

The Centre has dismissed Puja Khedkar, a former probationary civil servant, from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) with immediate effect, reports a news agency PTI sources said on Saturday.

The Central government, through an order dated September 6, 2024, dismissed Khedkar from the Administrative Service of India under Rule 12 of the IAS (Probation) Rules, 1954 with immediate effect, sources said. PTI.

These provisions allow the Central Government to dismiss probationers from service if they “fail to pass the re-examination” or “if the Central Government is satisfied that the probationer was not eligible for recruitment to the Service or is not fit to be a member of the Service”, among other things.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on July 31 cancelled her candidature and disqualified her from future exams. Khedkar allegedly misrepresented information in her application form for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2022 to get reservation benefits. She was accused of cheating and wrongly availing Other Backward Classes (OBC) and disability allowance quotas.

Khedkar served as an IAS trainee in her home state of Maharashtra.

On September 5, Khedkar informed the Delhi High Court that she was willing to undergo a medical examination at the All India Institute Of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), after the city police alleged that one of her disability certificates could be “forged” and “fabricated”.

“I am ready to undergo medical examination. First they say I have changed my name. Now they say disability is questionable. I am ready to report to AIIMS,” said a senior counsel appearing for Khedkar.

She was earlier transferred from Pune to Washim over alleged abuse of office. Khedkar was accused of using red and blue flasher, VIP number plates and a ‘Government of Maharashtra’ sticker on her private Audi sedan – which was not permitted under the Motor Vehicles Act.

According to various reports, she even demanded facilities that are not meant for probationary IAS officers. According to a report submitted by Pune Income Tax Collector Suhas Diwse to the General Administration Department, Khedkar had demanded a separate cabin, car, living quarters and a peon even before joining the service as a probationer on June 3.

Based on information from the agency.