Puja Khedkar, the trainee IAS officer embroiled in controversy over alleged misuse of power and rule violations, is facing new scrutiny over her admission to MBBS using the OBC non-creamy layer quota. According to reports, Khedkar secured admission to Pune’s Kashibai Navale Medical College in 2007 under the OBC Nomadic Tribe-3 category, reserved for the Vanjari community.
However, the director of the medical college, Arvind Bhore, disputed this claim, stating that Khedkar took admission through the Common Entrance Test (CET) and submitted a medical fitness certificate that did not mention any disability. Bhore also confirmed that Khedkar had submitted the required caste certificate, caste validity, and non-creamy layer certificate.
Khedkar’s OBC status and Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD) certificate are under investigation after she sparked controversy with her alleged demands for special treatment during her posting in Pune and her subsequent transfer to Washim district.
It has been revealed that Khedkar applied for a PwBD certificate in August 2022, but was rejected by doctors who stated that “it is not possible” to issue a disability certificate in her favor.
However, Khedkar’s father, retired bureaucrat Dilip Khedkar, defended his daughter’s disability certificate, claiming that she suffers from vision impairment exceeding 40% and a certain category of mental illness, both of which were verified by medical professionals before the certificate was issued.
The controversy surrounding Khedkar’s admission and disability certificate has raised questions about her eligibility for the benefits she has received, and an investigation is ongoing to determine the facts of the matter.
