The REAL STORY of Puja Khedkar | New Details Revealed

0:00 A year ago, I made a video on IAS trainee Puja Khedkar. At that time, it looked as if the whole scandal had been exposed. There were fake disability certificates, misuse of reservations, luxury cars with illegal beacon, and family money. Everyone, including me, thought that this watertight case would be closed right away. But now we know that this case has sexual harassment allegations and a courtroom battle. Despite detailed FIR, show cause notice, and forgery of fraud evidence, Puja Khedkar hasn't been jailed yet. It's been more than a year and she hasn't been convicted of any crime yet. We read 400 pages consisting of show cause notice, FIR, court documents, and bail application to find out how Puja Khedkar played this game.

0:46 This case isn't just about an individual. It's about UPSC, which runs our country. So now let's talk about Puja Khedkar's case. Before talking about the case, I'd like to tell you about Toothsi's invisible aligners. You may have used braces to fix crooked or gap teeth. But you know how difficult it is to maintain them. While eating, food particles get stuck in the braces and you can't clean them properly. This can cause problems with bad breath, yellow teeth, and cavities. Metal braces don't just affect hygiene, they also affect people's confidence. People become very conscious and don't even laugh. Toothsi's invisible aligners are the best for this. Toothsi aligners fix crooked teeth and close the gap between the teeth in 6-12 months.

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2:19 The link is in the description. Let's get back to the video. Before we understand Puja Khedkar's case, we need to understand her. Puja Khedkar is not an ordinary candidate. Puja is a 34-year-old trained medical doctor who earned her MBBS degree from Maharashtra University of Health Sciences in 2013. Despite her medical credentials, she dreams of joining IAS. This isn't surprising because her family has a history. Her father, Dilip Khedkar, is a former IAS officer. He later joined politics and fought in elections, despite being unsuccessful. Her mother, Manorma, has also participated in local politics. After 2012, Puja gave highly competitive civil service examinations several times

3:09 which UPSC conducts to select the country's bureaucrats. After attempting this exam for at least 10 years, Puja achieved success in 2022 and became an IAS officer. She was given a Maharashtra Carder, her home carder, which is a dream for many IAS trainees to get a posting at home. In 2024, she was trained at the famous Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Missouri. In her probationary training, she got her first district posting in Pune. This posting is very prestigious due to the importance of Pune. On paper, Puja has everything – a good posting, a successful family background, and a good academic record. But if you dig deeper,

3:54 you'll find some claims and certificates that don't add up. Puja claimed that she has several disabilities, including low vision, hearing impairment, and mental health conditions. Due to these disabilities, she got the Person with Benchmark Disabilities, or PWBD, status under the Disability Rights Act of India. So, where non-PWD candidates can attempt an exam 6 times, this number becomes 9 for PWD candidates.

4:41 Initially, there was no problem during her posting in Pune. But as soon as Puja reached the Collector's office, there was a ruckus. Specifically, due to an incident that happened in June 2024. Puja came to the Collector's office in Pune in a white Audi which had an illegal red beacon and a Maharashtra government board. Puja is in her probation period but she's using VIP symbols that only senior officials use. In the Collector's office, Puja demanded VIP treatment. A private office cabin, personal staff, an official letterhead, a government bungalow, and a dedicated peon. Due to her demands, the staff in the Collector's office were surprised. When her demands weren't met, her father went to the office and scolded many officials.

5:28 He accused them of not treating her well and warned them that it would be bad for them if his daughter wasn't given respect. He said he didn't do anything wrong. "Do you want to make her stand all day?" "She's an IAS officer." "She's a lady IAS officer." "You won't give her a chair to sit on." "Do you want to make her stand all day?" Puja rejected all these allegations saying that it's not possible for an IAS trainee like her to do all this. Pune's District Collector, Suhas Diwase, documented all this and wrote a detailed report to the Maharashtra Chief Secretary stating that before joining her duty,

6:15 Puja had repeatedly asked for a cabin, car, residential quarters, and peon which were well beyond her probation entitlement. He said he tried to convince her but she didn't listen and her behavior didn't suit the administration. The investigation started immediately. Puja was transferred from her prestigious Pune post to the Washim District. Many people were shocked that she was transferred during probation. Some people started investigating how Puja actually became an IAS officer. Many politicians and journalists started investigating. A Pune-based RTI activist and AAP leader, Vijay Kumbar raised several questions. Vijay Kumbar has been fighting against government privileges for a long time.

7:04 When he saw Puja's case, he thought there was something fishy. Through RTI questions, he got several details about Puja's case and how she became an IAS officer. First, Vijay saw that Puja had a non-creamy layer OBC certificate. He asked how Puja got this certificate when her family income was so high. In fact, in her father's election affidavit, he declared that he had assets worth Rs. 40 crores and an annual income of Rs. 43 lakhs. Second, Vijay saw that Puja got benefits in the Persons with Disabilities category. Did Puja lie about this? Vijay Kumbar got some evidence. In 2022, Puja received a medical certificate

7:52 where Yashwant Rao Chavan Memorial Hospital declared that she had 7% locomotive disability. By 7% locomotive disability, it means that you face some difficulties but it doesn't affect your daily life. This is important because UPSC gives extra exam attempts to candidates who have at least 40% certified disability. But Puja's certificate only states 7% impairment. So how did they give extra attempts? After a while, things get even stranger. 4 days after the Washim transfer, on July 11, 2024, Puja Khedkar secretly wrote a letter to Maharashtra's Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik. In the letter, she accused

8:37 Pune's collector Suhas Diwase of sexually harassing her. According to the letter, Suhas Diwase called Puja to his chamber several times claiming that it was a part of the training. She also claimed that she had asked for a separate toilet which was rejected by Pune's collector. She wrote about one incident in detail. She wrote that during lunchtime, he asked her to sit in the room and when he came to the chamber, he held her hand and tried to pull her towards him. He let go of her hand and then said, I won't do anything to you. Don't shout. Please keep quiet. I'm sorry. Puja said that she wanted to file a report the same day but because he apologized,

9:22 she didn't want to create trouble issue during her probation. She said that Suhas Diwase tried to take advantage of her and then apologized. He then said, be quiet or your career will be ruined. Despite these deep accusations, the state government didn't respond. That's why Puja says that she filed a police complaint in Wasim. She called several senior female officers to her house overnight and talked with them for three hours and told them what happened that day. Suhas Diwase said that all these accusations are baseless. She worked with them for 11 days, from 3rd June to 14th June. And she was always surrounded by other officials.

10:07 Suhas said that there was no complaint against him at that time. In fact, Puja's official response to the report I filed against Puja did not mention this. Before police action, bureaucracy responds. The Department of Personnel and Training cancels Puja's field training. It has been decided that the district training of Probationer Ms. Puja Khedkar will be kept on hold and she will be immediately recalled at the academy for necessary action. She was also ordered to reach Mussoorie's Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, which is an IAS training school, within a week. Puja later told in the court filings that this was not a coincidence. In fact, the government's action

10:53 is in response to her harassment complaint. So the situation is that Puja has been accused of lying in the application itself. Then she accused the district collector of sexual harassment. The district collector said that she worked with them for 11 days and there were officials around her. So there was no question of doing anything wrong. Puja said that all this is happening because she accused a senior official of sexual harassment. So what do we find out in the investigation? In Delhi, the Union Public Service Commission starts investigating Puja Khedkar's records. Three days after filing an FIR against the district collector of Pune, the UPSC sends Puja a show-cause notice. The notice states that Puja lied in her application on purpose

11:40 so that she could repeatedly take the UPSC exam. Let's try to understand this in detail. According to UPSC rules, when an OBC candidate gets a Benchmark Disabilities status, they can make up to 9 attempts. UPSC records show that Puja made 9 attempts between 2012 and 2020. So after 2020, she was ineligible for the exam. But she took the exam in 2021, 2022, and 2023. How is this possible? She changed her name and her parents' names in the application form to hide her identity. First, she filled in her name as Khedkar Puja Diliprao. Then she re-registered as Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar.

12:25 "From the first day of UPSC to the last day of UPSC, I have been and I am Puja Khedkar." "The only thing which I did was I added my mother's name." "Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar." Because of this simple change, her record system was reset and a new record was created. You should be angry that someone fooled the system with such a simple change. The question is why doesn't UPSC use a unique thing as an identifier, like Aadhaar Number? I don't have the answer. Puja didn't just change her name, she also changed her category. First, she took the exam in the General category, then in OBC, and finally in OBC plus PWBD. After 2018, she asked for a Persons with Benchmark Disability status,

13:10 saying that she was suffering from low vision and mental illness. She should have stopped in 2021. But after 2021, she took many more attempts. She passed one of them and became an IAS officer. On the basis of these findings, UPSC filed a criminal complaint against Puja in the Delhi Police Crime Branch. The FIR used strong words like, it's obvious that Puja Khedkar deliberately hid information so that she could give more attempts for the Civil Services exam. It was written that Puja deliberately didn't mention her exam history, didn't mention how many attempts she took, and she also used fake certificates. The FIR mentions that she gave two different PWBD certificates

13:57 for the 2022 and 2023 exams, which means one of them is fake. But the story isn't over yet. The Department of Personnel and Training, which manages the IAS cadres, asked for Puja's dismissal. They gave four reasons for this. 1. Puja has given more attempts than the allowed exam attempts, which should make her ineligible. 2. She has given false information in her application forms. 3. She has given false statements to get admission. 4. She doesn't have the brain and character to become an IAS officer. The message is clear. If Puja doesn't defend herself, she will be dismissed from the IAS administration. But Puja decided to defend herself. On 25 July 2024, she sent an email to UPSC

14:43 asking for a 10-day extension so that she could collect her documents and defend herself. On the same day, she went to the Patiala District Court in Delhi to file an Anticipatory Bail application. Now, no one files for Anticipatory Bail unless they're afraid of going to jail. In her application, she states that she's going to be arrested and won't be able to reply to UPSC notices. That's why she should be bailed immediately. Puja didn't apologize. In fact, she said that she didn't make any mistakes. All her attempts are valid. According to her, she started registering as a PwD candidate in 2018 and gave five exams in this category. According to her, her attempts between 2012 and 2017

15:29 shouldn't have been counted because she was in the non-PwD category. But the government's rule is very simple. OBC PwD candidates will only get nine attempts, no matter what. Puja said that she didn't make any mistakes. In fact, she's being framed for filing a complaint against the Pune District Collector. But UPSC didn't listen to her. On July 31, 2024, UPSC released a press release and cancelled her candidature for exam in 2022. Now there's a fight in the court. She's been giving exams for 10-12 years. Many of her family members have also given exams. She knows the system very well. In fact, Puja is very confident. We can understand this from her media statements.

16:15 For example, she stated, I will return soon. It's clear that she won't give up. She will fight. On August 1, Patiala High Court heard her anticipatory bail appeal. Puja said that she was being targeted for filing a sexual harassment complaint against her senior. Her argument is that all her certificates, whether caste or medical disability, are legal and approved by proper procedures. After hearing both sides, the court scolded Puja. The court said that the fraud is so sophisticated that it can't be carried out by only one individual. The court said that someone has manipulated the system from within. Two judges' benches said that Puja's actions were a huge blunder against UPSC's credibility.

17:02 The court asked how a person with so much money can claim the benefits of underprivileged people. The media was in a frenzy. But after hearing this, things turn crazier. "A classic example of fraud committed not only...an authority, but also the nation at large." "...found her guilty of faking her identity to take the exam multiple times." Puja didn't give up. While the police were investigating, Puja went to Delhi High Court and said that UPSC didn't follow the procedures properly. She said that UPSC never gave her a cancellation order so she didn't get a fair opportunity to defend herself. UPSC released an official press release on July 31, 2024 where they said that they were cancelling Puja's candidature. But they didn't send this to Puja personally.

17:49 Puja said that she should benefit from the bureaucratic slip-up. So Puja got some relief as the procedures weren't followed properly. Delhi High Court granted Puja interim protection from arrest. UPSC was ordered to send the cancellation order to Puja's email. Puja's problems didn't end there. The central government announced a decision. While Puja's candidature was cancelled in 2022, DOPT removed her from the IAS cadre. They said that Puja misused the reservation and committed identity fraud. The Delhi Police said this in court, but didn't ask for custody in their written report. And Puja Khedkar's team raised the same question.

18:35 Puja's lawyers said that the media was talking about many things. But the Delhi Police didn't even ask for a custodial interrogation in their status report. Custodial interrogation means that a suspect can be interrogated in police custody, which means they can't go anywhere. A written status report is a formal document that the investigation agency has to prepare. Basically, the Delhi Police didn't ask for a custodial interrogation in their status report. So Puja Khedkar's lawyers used a bureaucratic slip-up in their defense for the second time. And the Delhi High Court scolded the police. They said that if the agency didn't ask for a custodial interrogation, why wouldn't they give protection to Puja? So Puja gets more time because of this mistake.

19:22 But Puja's fate changed in December 2024. The court gave protection to Puja for two reasons. First, the police didn't ask for a custodial interrogation in their status report. Second, Puja made a commitment that she'd take part in the investigation and produce all documentary evidence. But the problem arises when Puja's lawyers say that she changed her name because her parents got divorced. And she lives alone with her mother. But the court rejected this argument because they said that they have evidence in the election affidavit that her parents live together. And they even checked the phone records. A document was produced before the court stating that her family owns a lot of properties and cars. In fact, 12 of them are registered in her name.

20:09 Three of them are luxury cars — BMW, Mercedes, and Mahindra Thar. And on the basis of these documents, the High Court judge states that obtaining a fake OBC certificate for such a family is not that difficult. Because of this, the High Court rejected her anticipatory bail. Then Puja went to the Supreme Court. She said that she shouldn't be arrested because all her documents are valid. A sub-divisional officer had issued a caste certificate in Ahmednagar district. A disability certificate had been issued by a credible government hospital. But there's something fishy. One certificate is about visual and mental illness, and the other is about visual and hearing. But her lawyers say that there's no problem in either of these. We did two different assessments. This doesn't mean we're committing fraud.

20:54 The most surprising thing is that they showed a certificate from AIIMS. It said that she has a 47% disability in visual and hearing. Six doctors have signed it. Many questions were asked about it. "From multiple disability of visual plus mental, switching to visual plus hearing?" "No one had any doubt? What's going on? Is this a joke?" Now we'll have to question the police as well. The police kept saying that one of the medical certificates was fake. But they couldn't get any evidence for this. The police said that the certificates are fake. But they didn't arrest a single person who issued these certificates. The Supreme Court asked the police what was the need for a custodial interrogation when Puja was cooperating. The police found out that Puja changed her name for her UPSC applications.

21:39 But she didn't change her name for her other IDs like passports and bank accounts. The Supreme Court held onto this and asked two questions. First, the police never interrogated Puja. Second, you're saying that this is a huge conspiracy. But you haven't presented any evidence in support of this conspiracy. The Supreme Court didn't spare Puja either. They asked how can you make different attempts as an able and disabled candidate. But the Supreme Court targeted the police. At one point, the Supreme Court said, What did you do after the last order of our 15th April? For how many hours did you question Puja? After the Supreme Court's rebuke, the Delhi Police finally questioned Puja. Puja reached the Crime Branch Team of the Kamla Market office at 10 am.

22:27 The investigation went on for 8 hours. They asked her a lot of questions and asked her to submit a lot of documents. A lot of media people were standing outside the office. After the investigation, Puja spoke to them. She said that in December 2024, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis changed his name. He put his mother's name. Devendra Sarita Gangadharrao Fadnavis. She said, if the Chief Minister of the state can do it, why can't I? The behavior of the court also changed from what you discern from its language. On 21st May, the court said, Puja hasn't committed a major crime. She's neither a drug lord nor a terrorist. She hasn't even committed a murder. The court said, Puja has already lost her job. End the investigation. Puja has lost everything. She won't even get a job.

23:12 The Supreme Court stayed the Delhi High Court's order. It said that Puja should get a bail in this case. So, Puja gets an anticipatory bail. So, the case that we thought was an open-shut case, Puja Khedkar has already been granted bail in that. But the investigation isn't complete yet. After this scandal, UPSC made a lot of changes. They introduced Mandatory Aadhar Authentication. Now, more than 92% of applicants do biometric verification to confirm their identity. Aspirants will have to submit all their documents, such as education, caste, and disability certificates, in the preliminary stage, not in the mains. They also changed their software so that fraud involving a name change can be caught. UPSC has made a lot of changes, but what about the police? Puja said in an interview that the Supreme Court asked the police a lot of questions,

24:01 but the police didn't have an answer.

25:05 We thought this was an open-shut case between Puja and UPSC. But then came the police. The Supreme Court asked many questions to the police. That's why Puja says that she's 100% sure that UPSC will have to reinstate her. "I completely believe in our justice system, in our constitution, and the court system." "I believe that 100%... I will be reinstated back into IAS." I've said many times in my videos that our country doesn't lack laws. In fact, our country has many laws. Our country lacks enforcement. And enforcement comes under the responsibility of the courts and the police. We have to solve this. But the entire country keeps saying that we need more laws. We don't need laws. We need enforcement.

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