A new development has emerged in the case of trainee IAS officer Pua Khedkar that involve startling revelations about her parents. Puja Khedkar has been under scrutiny for allegedly submitting a false OBC Non-Creamy Layer certificate. As part of the investigation, the central government directed Pune police to look into the marital status and divorce claims of her parents, Manorama Khedkar and Dilip Khedkar.
Puja Khedkar claimed that her parents were divorced and that she lived with her mother while her father lived separately. However, multiple media reports indicate discrepancies in this narrative. According to a report by India Today, Manorama and Dilip Khedkar filed for a mutual divorce in Pune’s family court in 2009, which was finalised on June 25, 2010. Despite this, the couple allegedly continued living together in a bungalow in Pune’s Baner area, registered under Manorama Khedkar’s name.
Additionally, it is reported that Dilip Khedkar listed Manorama Khedkar as his wife in his Lok Sabha election affidavit, declaring them an undivided Hindu family. The couple has been seen together at public events, presenting themselves as a married couple. Dilip Khedkar’s election affidavit also declared total assets exceeding Rs 40 crore, detailing joint properties with his wife.
Dilip Khedkar, Puja’s father, is a retired government officer. In 2024, he ran for the Lok Sabha seat from Ahmednagar on a Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) ticket but lost. Meanwhile, Puja Khedkar was supposed to report to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie by July 23 but has not yet arrived.
Manorama Khedkar is currently in jail, accused of threatening farmers with a firearm. She was arrested by the Pune rural police. Dilip Khedkar is also implicated in this case and has been granted interim bail by a Pune court until July 25.
