'Is It Wrong To...': IAS Officer Puja Khedkar's Father Defends Daughter, Says She Has 40% Visual Impairment

Probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar has been marred in controversy for allegedly misusing the disability and OBC quota to get a seat in the services.

Dilip Khedkar, the father of the controversial ISA officer Puja Khedkar, came in his daughter's defence refuting all the allegations levelled against her as he claimed that she was being harassed without any fault on her part.

The 2023 batch Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer is in the eye of a storm for allegedly misusing the disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) quota to secure a position in the IAS. She has also been controversial over her alleged misuse of power and privileges as a civil servant. She allegedly demanded a separate office, a car, and a house for herself before joining as Assistant Collector in Pune. 

The probationary IAS officer's father asked what was wrong in asking for a space to sit. 

"My daughter has not done anything wrong. Is a woman asking for a space to sit wrong," said the father, quoted by India Today. 

"The matter is subjudice and a committee has been appointed to investigate it. Let us all wait for the final verdict. All I can say is that someone is deliberately trying to make it an issue," he added. 

However, he did not name anyone when asked to name the person whom he claimed to be orchestrating the controversy. 

On being asked if Puja applied under the creamy or non-creamy layer category, he said: "We will present our case to the committee. Legal proceedings are underway and it would not be appropriate to comment on the matter at this time. Everything was done according to the rules and there was no wrongdoing."

Responding to the question of why Puja did not appear for an evaluation at AIIMS in Delhi for her multiple disabilities, Dilip claimed it was "half-truth". 

"UPSC has rigorous rules. It involves a medical board of 20–25 people at the hospital, and it is impossible to submit fraudulent documents," he said. 

Dilip claimed that her disability certificate was legitimate, adding that she suffers from 40 per cent visual impairment. 

“There are many kinds of disabilities. Puja suffers from vision impairment, which is more than 40 per cent. Therefore she fulfils 40% criteria of the disability,” Dilip said during an interview with the Hindustan Times. 

He also saod that the medical experts on a panel had verified her disabilities before issuing the certificate.