Vikrant Shekhawat : Sep 07, 2024, 09:15 PM
Pooja Khedkar: Recently, the services of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) trainee officer Pooja Khedkar have been terminated. On 6 September 2024, the central government issued an order relieving Pooja Khedkar from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS). The decision has come due to her disability and irregularities in the civil services examination, due to which her right to become an IAS has been canceled.Pooja Khedkar remained in controversiesPooja Khedkar passed the IAS exam in 2023, but before that she had failed in this exam nine times. Her right to appear in the exam in 2023 was controversial, as the maximum limit of attempts for OBC category candidates is nine. Pooja Khedkar had taken the exam several times between 2012 and 2020, and thus she had completed the maximum limit of attempts. On this basis, her claim to take the exam in 2023 was considered illegal.Central government orderThe central government order clarified that Pooja Khedkar has been relieved from IAS with immediate effect under Rule 12 of the IAS (Probation) Rules, 1954. The government said that the single-member committee started the inquiry on July 11, 2024 and submitted its report on July 24, 2024. In the report, it was found that Pooja Khedkar may have been ineligible in CSE-2022 and other earlier examinations, and it was found that her appointment was against the rules.Investigation and findingsThe inquiry by the single-member committee revealed that Pooja Khedkar had taken the civil services examination multiple times between 2012 and 2023, while the maximum number of attempts permissible for the OBC category was nine. Based on this, Pooja Khedkar created a situation of disqualification to become a candidate in CSE-2022. According to the IAS (Probation) Rules, 1954, any probationer can be discharged if he is found unfit to be recruited in the service.Civil Services Examination Rules and DisqualificationUnder the Civil Services Examination Rules 2022, the maximum number of attempts permissible for OBC and PWD category candidates is nine. Pooja Khedkar had exceeded this limit, making her appointment to the IAS wrong from a legal point of view.Future directionAfter this decision, a big question has arisen on the process of recruitment of Pooja Khedkar to the Indian Administrative Service. This incident is an important message for those candidates who are facing irregularities in the examination and ignore the rules. Along with this, it is also an indication of how important a role purity and adherence to rules play in administrative services.UPSC canceled candidature on July 31The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) canceled her candidature on July 31. Along with this, she was barred from appearing in future examinations. Khedkar has been denying all the allegations against her.A Delhi court had refused to grant anticipatory bail to Khedkar on August 1. The court said that there are serious allegations against her, which require a thorough investigation. After this, Khedkar has challenged the lower court's decision in the High Court. The High Court has first stayed Khedkar's arrest till September 5 and then till September 26.Who is Pooja Khedkar?Pooja Khedkar is a former IAS officer of 2023 batch. Pooja Khedkar secured All India Rank 841 in the Civil Services Exam 2022. After passing the UPSC exam, Pooja Khedkar became the Assistant Collector of Pune during training. As soon as she took charge, she came into the limelight when she demanded a separate chamber, luxury car and house. Apart from this, the controversy grew over her roaming around with red-blue lights and Maharashtra government sticker on her private car. The matter was complained to the Chief Secretary. Later, he was transferred from Khedkar to Washim.