IAS officer submitted fake certificates

Mumbai: Pooja Khedkar, a 2022 batch IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre, allegedly submitted fake disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates to clear the Civil Services Exam, an official said on Wednesday. The claim came a day after the probationary IAS officer, who used her private Audi car with a red-blue beacon light and VIP number plate, was transferred from Pune to Washim following complaints of misuse of power. Khedkar appeared for the civil services exam under the OBC and visually impaired categories, the official said, adding she also submitted a mental illness certificate.

In April 2022, she was asked to report at the AIIMS, Delhi for verification of her disability certificate but she did not do so, citing Covid infection, the official said. The official said that her father Dilip Khedkar, a former state government officer, while contesting the recent Lok Sabha election, had declared his property valued at Rs 40 crore.

However, Pooja Khedkar appeared for the civil services exam under the OBC category, where the creamy layer certificate limitation is an annual parental income of Rs 8 lakh, the official said. After joining as a probationary officer in Pune, Khedkar allegedly made several demands, including a VIP number plate for an Audi car, and placed a red beacon on the vehicle.