The on-probation IAS officer, Puja Khedkar, who was tarsferred over her alleged misuse of power and lying about her visual and mental abilities and her Other Backward Class (OBC) background is caught up in a storm of controversy.
The list of perks she demanded, most of which are not allowed for juniors, included a separate office, house for herself, and a car, which she wanted before joining as Assistant Collector in Pune.
Amidst the ongoing controversy, her WhatsApp chat with an official at the collectorate has surfaced, in which she can be seen asking the officer to arrange her demands before June 3, her joining date.
Three screenshots of these chats between the officer and Khedkar were included in a preliminary report from the Collector's Office, NDTV reported.
'Pls Get The Designated Cabin & Vehicle Done Before I Join'
In one of the messages, she introduced herself as an IAS officer to an official and stated that she was unable to locate her documents in the Pune office.
'Hello, Dr Puja Khedkar IAS here. I have been posted as Asst collector pune. Dr Diwase sir gave me ur contact number. I would be joining on June 3rd. However, some of my documents sent from Buldhana collector office to pune I am not able to locate in our office. Kindly let me know what can be done," Khedkar messaged the officer, to which he replied "Ok. No issue. On Monday we can trace."
Furthermore, the probationary officer demanded to know the details regarding her "seating arrangement and vehicle, so I can arrange accordingly".
To this, the officer said that the matter would be "discussed with the collector sir on Monday."
On May 23, she impatiently messaged again: "Any update about accommodation, travel, cabin, etc?" but received no reply.
However, she texted again the next day: "Kindly respond. It's important".
Subsequently, she was told: "Good morning... We will check as you arrive".
By this time, an annoyed Khedkar replied: "I think it shld be done before I join not after... I have a lot of things to plan accordingly n cannot leave it to later."
Following this, Khedkar sent another text after her phone calls went unanswered, asking, "Is there any problem in calling back?"
After four days, she seemed to have sent an ultimatum of sorts, stressing, "Pls get the designated cabin n vehicle done before I join on 3rd. Later there will be no time. If it is not possible let me know, I will talk to collector sir accordingly..."
The Collector office's exhaustive report also said that Khedkar demanded a house.
Khedkar Transferred To Washim Till July 30, 2025
The report led to the transfer of Khedkar to Washim district for further completion of her training. She has now been appointed as a 'supernumerary Assitant Collector' in Washim till July 30, 2025.
Khedkar was transferred to Washim after Pune Collector Suhas Divase complained to the Maharashtra Chief Secretary. "The 2023 batch IAS officer will serve the remaining period of her probation as Supernumerary Assistant Collector in Washim district," the order stated.
The probationary officer is also facing several allegations, including faking her OBC status, and using a red beacon for her private Audi sedan, which is reserved for VIP government vehicles. She had also installed a 'Government of Maharashtra' and was found using the cabin of Additional Collector Ajay More's office while he was away.
Khedkar reportedly even demanded letterheads and removed office furniture.
None of the facilities demanded by her are available to junior staff, who are on probation for 24 months.
As per reports, her father, a retired officer, had also pushed for her daughter's demands to be fulfilled.