IAS officer Puja Khedkar is under fire in a controversy. Reports have surfaced accusing her of misusing her power and violating rules during her appointment. According to the latest allegations, she secured her MBBS admission using the OBC non-creamy layer quota under questionable circumstances.Khedkar reportedly got admitted to Punes Kashibai Navale Medical College under the OBC Nomadic Tribe-3 category, which is reserved for the Vanjari community. According to India Today TV, her father was a serving bureaucrat in Maharashtra when she obtained this admission. The report claims that her admission was based on the colleges private entrance exam rather than her Common Entrance Test (CET) score.Conflicting claimsHowever, Arvind Bhore, the director of Kashibai Navale Medical College stated that Khedkar was admitted in 2007 through the CET and had submitted all necessary documents, including a caste certificate, caste validity certificate, non-creamy layer certificate, and a medical fitness certificate, which did not mention any disability.Disability certificate controversyPuja Khedkars status as a non-creamy layer OBC and her Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD) certificate are under intense scrutiny. The controversy escalated after she allegedly made demands for a separate cabin and staff during her posting in Pune, which led to her abrupt transfer to Washim district.In August 2022, Khedkar applied for a PwBD certificate from Pune, but doctors rejected her request, stating it was not possible to issue the certificate. NDTV reported that she was informed in a letter that the Medical Board could not verify her disability.What has her father said in defenseDilip Khedkar, Pujas father and a retired bureaucrat who contested the Lok Sabha elections, defended his daughter. He declared property worth ₹40 crore in his election affidavit and maintained that Pujas disability certificate was legitimate. He explained that Puja suffers from vision impairment, which exceeds 40 percent, thus meeting the criteria for disability. He also mentioned that medical experts had verified her condition before issuing the certificate. Moreover, he stated that Puja has a specific category of mental illness, which was also verified by professionals.
