Personal Assets Worth Rs 17 Cr? Big Question Mark Over IAS Officer Puja Khedkar's OBC Creamy Layer

Mumbai: 2023 batch IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who is in the eye of the storm over her UPSC selection process and allegations of enjoying undue privilege, owns assets worth Rs 17 crore, according to AAP Maharashtra unit vice-president Vijay Kumbhar. As per her statement of immovable property for the year 2023, accessed by NDTV, the trainee officer owns three plots of land in Pune district worth Rs 20 crore alone. She has two plots of land in Ahmednagar district worth Rs 1.25 crore cumulatively, which were gifted by her mother.  

Additionally, she has two flats in Ahmednagar's Savedi and Pune's Kondhwa worth Rs 45 lakh and Rs 75 lakh respectively. The properties, which were all acquired between 2014 to 2019, generates an annual income of Rs 42 lakh for Khedkar, as per the report. Kumbhar's tweet further claims that Khedkar's parents, “having a non-creamy layer certificate, possess property that includes 110 acres of agricultural land, violating the Agricultural Land Ceiling Act, 6 shops (1.6 lakh sq ft), 7 flats, including one in Hiranandani; 900 grams of gold, diamonds, a gold watch worth 17 lakh rupees, 4 cars, partnerships in two private limited companies and one automobile firm.”

This recent revelation certainly puts a huge question mark over Khedkar's OBC non-creamy layer certificate. Under the OBC non-creamy layer, 27 per cent reservation is given while securing a seat in government jobs like IAS, IPS. Additionally, there is a relaxation in age limit and cut-off marks as well for the UPSC exam. Most importantly, the family income shouldn't be more than Rs 8 lakh for obtaining OBC non-creamy layer certificate. However, her father's declared assets of Rs 40 crore tells a different story. In a mock interview, now gone viral, she is heard saying that her parents were separated and she was not in touch with her father.

Khedkar came into limelight after she was allegedly using a red-blue beacon and VIP plate and a "Government of Maharashtra" sticker on her Audi sedan. Amid the raging controversy, Khedkar has been transferred to Washim.