Ex-IAS officer Khedkar's father enters Maharashtra assembly poll fray
Dilip Khedkar, the father of dismissed Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar, is contesting as an independent candidate in the Maharashtra assembly elections. He is contesting from Shevgaon constituency in Ahilyanagar district. This comes after his unsuccessful bid in the Lok Sabha elections as a Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi candidate from Ahmednagar. Notably, his election affidavit for the assembly polls omits details about his wife, Manorama Khedkar—a contrast to his Lok Sabha election affidavit where he included information about her.
Khedkar's affidavit omits wife's details, sparks controversy
Both Dilip and Manorama were accused in a criminal intimidation case of a Pune district farmer over a land dispute in June 2023. The couple's daughter, Puja, was also dismissed from the IAS for allegedly misusing the OBC non-creamy layer quota. She had claimed her parents were separated to avail quota benefits during her Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination process. However, Dilip's Lok Sabha election affidavit contradicted this claim as it included details about his wife.
Activist highlights inconsistencies in Khedkar's marital status declarations
Right to Information (RTI) activist Vijay Kumbhar has highlighted the contradictions in Khedkar's marital status declarations. He said, "During the Lok Sabha elections, they (Dilip and Manorama) were married, but when the issue of caste-certificate was involved, they showed themselves as separated and now again Khedkar has shown himself as separated." These contradictions have added another dimension to the already convoluted case of Khedkar family.
Puja Khedkar's dismissal and father's anticipatory bail
In July 2024, Dilip was granted anticipatory bail in the criminal intimidation case. A few months later, on September 6, 2024, the central government discharged Puja from service under Rule 12 of IAS (Probation) Rules, 1954. This came after the UPSC canceled her candidature and barred her from future exams on July 31, over allegations of quota misuse.
