Pune Police Issues Notice to Manorama Khedkar, Mother of IAS Trainee Puja Khedkar

Pune Police issued a show cause notice to Manorama Khedkar, mother of IAS trainee Puja Khedkar, on June 13 for the misuse of a licensed gun. Manorama, the Sarpanch of Bhalgaon village in Ahmednagar, was seen waving a pistol during a heated argument in a viral video. The notice, issued by Pune Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar, was pasted outside her house as no one was available to receive it. Manorama has been asked to respond within 10 days on why her gun license should not be canceled. A case has been registered against her under the Arms Act based on a complaint from a local farmer who alleged threats from Manorama and others.

Following these controversies, Puja Khedkar was transferred from Pune to Washim district. The Central Government has set up a committee to investigate the allegations against her. Puja, a trainee IAS officer from the 2023 batch, is accused of abusing her authority and submitting fraudulent disability and caste certificates to qualify for the civil services exam. She also faces allegations of corruption, including unauthorized use of a vehicle with a beacon light and demanding privileges not typically granted to trainee officers.

On Thursday, the central government formed a single-member committee to verify Puja’s candidature claims and other details. The committee, chaired by a senior officer of the rank of Additional Secretary, will submit its report in two weeks. Puja was also accused of removing a senior official’s nameplate at the Pune collector’s office to use his antechamber as her office. She allegedly submitted fake disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates and a mental illness certificate. In April 2022, she was asked to report to AIIMS, Delhi, for verification of her disability certificate but did not comply, citing COVID infection.