In the midst of a swirling controversy surrounding allegations of fraudulent practices in clearing her civil services exam, trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar has vehemently denied the media trial holding her guilty. The 34-year-old faces accusations of misrepresenting herself under the physical disabilities and non-creamy layer of OBC categories.

Asserting her innocence, Khedkar emphasized that the media trial was erroneous, stating, "Our Indian Constitution is based on the fact innocent until proven guilty. So, media trial proving me guilty is actually wrong. It is the basic right of everyone. You can say it is alleged but proving me guilty like this is wrong." She expressed her confidence in the principles of justice and reiterated her belief that the truth would be revealed during the expert committee's inquiry.

Khedkar affirmed her intentions to testify in front of the expert committee and stated that she would accept their final decision. "Whatever my submission is, I will give it in front of the committee and the truth will come out," she added.

The allegations against Khedkar came to light after a Pune RTI activist, Vijay Kumbhar, raised questions about her appointment in the civil services, claiming that she did not qualify for the OBC non-creamy layer category due to her father's considerable assets worth Rs 40 crore. Kumbhar argued that the income criterion for non-creamy layer classification was an annual income of less than 8 lakh, which Khedkar's family apparently surpassed.

Additionally, Khedkar is under scrutiny for the alleged misuse of her authority and the submission of fraudulent disability and caste certificates to qualify for the civil service exam. The collector of Pune, where Khedkar was posted as an assistant collector, lodged a complaint with the Chief Secretary of the Maharashtra government. The complaint alleged that she had used a red beacon and a "Government of Maharashtra" sticker on her personal Audi car, occupied a senior officer's office in his absence, and made requests for privileges that were not entitled to junior officers on probation.

When questioned about these allegations, Khedkar refrained from commenting on the ongoing investigation, stating, "My job here as a probationer is to work and learn, and that is what I am doing. I cannot make any comments on that (the probe). Whenever the decision of the committee comes, it will be public and open to scrutiny."

Recent revelations have shed light on Khedkar's past use of a non-creamy layer OBC Certificate in 2007 to secure admission to MBBS. Arvind Bhore, the Director of Shrimati Kashibai Navale Medical College and General Hospital, alleged that Khedkar enrolled in the college's first batch in 2007 under the nomadic tribe-3 category, providing a non-creamy layer OBC certificate. Furthermore, in August 2022, she reportedly attempted to obtain a disability certificate from Pune, but doctors dismissed her claim.

Khedkar acknowledged that the expert committee would investigate these technical aspects, and she would submit her response for their consideration. She expressed her confidence that the committee's findings would be made public.

In a recent development, a case has been filed against Khedkar's parents, Manorma Khedkar and Dilip Khedkar, for allegedly threatening farmers with a pistol, adding another layer of complexity to the already tumultuous situation.

As the controversy surrounding Puja Khedkar continues to generate public attention, all eyes remain on the forthcoming expert committee inquiry, which is expected to provide clarity on the accusations levied against the trainee IAS officer.