The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has discharged probationer Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar from service, more than a month after her candidature was cancelled by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and Delhi Police registered a criminal case against her.
A senior DoPT official said that “on September 6, the Central government discharged Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, IAS probationer, Maharashtra cadre, 2023 batch from the IAS under Rule 12 of IAS (Probation) Rules, 1954 with immediate effect.
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On July 31, UPSC had said that Ms. Khedkar was found “guilty of acting in contravention of the provisions of the Civil Services Examination-2022 Rules.”
Rule 12 of the IAS (probation) Rules states that the probationer shall be liable to be discharged from service “if the Central Government is satisfied that the probationer was ineligible for recruitment to the Service or is unsuitable for being a member of the Service.”
While a serving officer is dismissed from service, a probationer is discharged.
The discharge can be on account of failure to clear the examinations at the training academy or “if in the opinion of the Central Government he/she has wilfully neglected his probationary studies or duties or is found lacking in qualities of mind and character needed for the Service.”
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In July, Ms. Khedkar, posted as Assistant Collector in Pune was transferred to Washim in Maharashtra following complaints of misuse of power by a senior officer. She allegedly demanded special privileges such as a separate office, house, car, and staff, which she was not entitled to. It soon transpired that she allegedly submitted fake Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) certificates and Other Backward Classes (OBC) certificates to clear the civil services exam.
A single-member committee was constituted on July 11 to verify her candidature claims. The committee submitted its report on July 24. “Taking note of the findings and conclusions of single member Committee report, Government proceeded for a summary enquiry according to the provisions of Rule 12 of IAS (Probation) Rules, 1954, including giving Ms. Khedkar a reasonable opportunity, a government source said.
It was seen that Ms. Khedkar had applied and appeared for the CSE between 2012 to 2023. She exhausted the maximum permissible number of nine attempts in her claimed category (OBC and PwBD), between 2012 and 2020, prior to the CSE-2022 itself.
“After holding a summary enquiry, it was seen that Ms. Khedkar, IAS was ineligible to be a candidate at the CSE-2022, which was the year of her selection and appointment to the IAS. Therefore, she was ineligible to be recruited to the IAS,” said the source.
On July 19, the UPSC registered a criminal case against Ms. Khedkar for allegedly forging identity papers, misrepresenting and falsifying facts to obtain extra attempts in Civil Services Examination-2022.
Additionally, in July, DoPT has initiated an enquiry against six civil servants including probationers to re-examine their disability parameters.
Five IAS officers and an Indian Revenue Service (IRS) got into the services by availing reservation benefits under the PwBD category even though social media users pointed out that they were not eligible.
Retired IAS officer Sanjeev Gupta wrote on X, “At long last... Puja Khedkar discharged from IAS...Hope that the Govt acts fast on other fake cases of EWS (Economically Weaker Section) and physical handicap.”
Published - September 07, 2024 06:14 pm IST
