Govt Puts Puja Khedkar's IAS Probation On Hold, Asks Her To Report At LBSNAA

The government has placed trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar's probation on hold, asking her to report at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA). Khedkar faces serious charges that raise questions about her selection process in the civil services, and could be terminated if found guilty.

New Delhi:The Maharashtra government has put controversial civil servant Puja Khedkar's IAS probation on hold, asking her to report at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie, an official said on Tuesday.

The government put on hold the district training programme of the controversial IAS officer, who is under the scanner for allegedly forging disability certificates to clear the Civil Services examination. She has been asked to report back to the LBSNAA by July 23, a state government official said.

The academy has decided to recall her for further necessary action, the official said. A letter by Additional Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, Nitin Gadre said the academy has decided to put Khedkar's district training programme on hold and has immediately recalled her for further necessary action.

"You are hereby relieved from the district training programme of the state government of Maharashtra. You are instructed to join the academy at the earliest but not later than 23rd July 2024 under any circumstance," the letter said.

The government had recently constituted a single-member committee "to verify the candidature" of the 2023-batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, with sources saying that she may be terminated from service if found guilty.

The controversy started after Puja Khedkar was found using a red-blue beacon and a board of Maharashtra government on her private Audi car and raising demands for unauthorised perks at her office, a privilege not available to junior officers.

The 34-year-old Khedkar faces more serious charges that raise questions about her selection process in the civil services. She had also claimed several disabilities to avail of concessions in the Union Public Service Commission selection process but refused to undergo mandatory medical tests. Controversy also arose over her claim of Other Backward Classes (OBC) status.

Reacting to the allegations, Khedkar, on Monday, told reporters that there was a media trial against her and that she was innocent until proven guilty.

"I think everybody can see whatever is happening and as I said I do not want to comment on it because media and the common public are very... I believe in the common public, I believe in the media also and everybody is that intelligent and everybody knows what is happening. And that is why I cannot comment on it. Either positively or negatively...And whatever submission I have as I said it will become public later..."

"See our Indian Constitution is based on the fact that innocent until proven guilty. So by media trial proving me guilty, is actually wrong on everybody's part..," she said.

Former IAS officer Mahesh Zagade explained to ETV Bharat the nitty gritty of the training of IAS officers. "There are trainee officers, whom we call probationary IAS officers. For these, there are rules of 1954 and as per those rules, the Centre decides how they should be trained. This is called a probationary period and it is for two years," said Zagade, who was former Principal Secretary to the Government of Maharashtra.

Zagade, also a former Pune Municipal Commissioner, said that Puja Khedkar is under the Centre's service. "She was sent to Maharashtra from Mussoorie for training, so she could have been called back. If the government is not satisfied with the training, it has a right to call the officer back to the Academy. Once selected, the officers are given different states," explained Zagade, who was also Maharashtra FDA Commissioner.

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