'Innocent until proven guilty': IAS trainee Puja Khedkar breaks silence on certificate row

Khedkar had submitted a non-creamy layer OBC certificate for admission to MBBS in 2007, securing a seat at Shrimati Kashibai Navale Medical College under the reserved Nomadic Tribe-3 category.

Facing allegations of misusing quotas and disability provisions to secure an IAS position, probationary officer Puja Khedkar, on Monday, expressed her intention to present her case before the central committee investigating the matter. She also slammed the media for prematurely conducting a trial before any official findings were made.

"I will testify before the committee, and whatever decision they reach should be acceptable to all," Khedkar said, in an interaction with the press in Washim, reported ANI. She, however, declined to comment further on the ongoing investigations but reiterated her dedication to her probationary duties.

"I do not have the right to tell you whatever investigation is going on. Whatever submission I have, will become public later. Our Indian Constitution is based on the fact ‘innocent until proven guilty’ so proving me guilty by media trial is wrong", she stated.

Khedkar, embroiled in controversy over allegations including demands for separate office space and an official vehicle, has faced scrutiny over her eligibility under OBC and disability quotas. Concerns were raised particularly about the authenticity of her non-creamy layer OBC certificate, given her father's substantial assets as declared during a previous election.

The Centre, on July 7, formed a single-member committee to scrutinise Khedkar's documents submitted during her civil services examination and subsequent IAS selection.

In recent developments, it was disclosed that Khedkar had submitted a non-creamy layer OBC certificate for admission to MBBS in 2007, securing a seat at Shrimati Kashibai Navale Medical College under the reserved Nomadic Tribe-3 category. Questions have, however, arisen due to discrepancies between her family's income and the criteria for non-creamy layer status.

Arvind Bhore, Director of the college, highlighted that eligibility for OBC non-creamy layer status typically applies to families with annual incomes under a certain threshold, contrasting sharply with Khedkar's family's declared assets and income during electoral disclosures.

He noted, “As per the rules, only those come under the OBC non-creme layer category whose parents are under 8 lac per annum of income, but their income shows that it is 40 crore. Her parents contested the recent Lok Sabha polls and all the property details are there in the affidavit,” as cited in an ANI report.

The ongoing controversy has prompted the central government to initiate a thorough investigation, with a focus on alleged discrepancies in certificates submitted by Khedkar and her conduct during her probationary period at Pune, which led to her recent transfer to Washim.