IAS Trainee’s Family Gripped By Multiple Legal Issues

IAS trainee Puja Khedkar's mother, Manorama Khedkar, was detained by Pune Rural Police for misuse of a licensed gun. Puja faces a harassment complaint against a Pune District official, while her father is being investigated for unaccounted wealth. Sharad Pawar criticized the administrative handling of these controversies.

The Pune Rural Police have detained Manorama Khedkar, the mother of IAS trainee Puja Khedkar, from a hotel in Mahad. Superintendent of Police Pankaj Deshmukh confirmed, 'We have detained her from Mahad. She is on her way here. We will question her and take further legal action.

This follows a show cause notice issued to Manorama by the Pune Police on June 13 for misuse of a licensed gun. Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar issued the notice after a viral video showed Manorama, the Sarpanch of Bhalgaon village in Ahmednagar, waving a pistol during a heated argument. A case has been registered against her under the Arms Act based on a complaint from a local farmer alleging threats.

On Wednesday, the Pune police issued a notice to Puja Khedkar, requesting her presence to record a statement regarding her harassment complaint against Pune District Collector Suhas Diwase. This complaint led to her removal from the District Training Programme and her recall to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie. Meanwhile, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has initiated an inquiry against Puja's father, Dilip Khedkar, for unaccounted wealth. Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar criticized the administrative set-up for their handling of these controversies.

(With inputs from agencies.)