ACB Receives Request for Inquiry Against Dilip Khedkar

India

-Krishna Kripa

The
Pune
unit
of
the
Anti-Corruption
Bureau
(ACB)
has
received
a
complaint
seeking
an
open
inquiry
against
Dilip
Khedkar,
a
retired
government
official
and
father
of
controversial
IAS
probationer
Puja
Khedkar.
This
complaint
pertains
to
alleged
disproportionate
assets,
according
to
a
senior
official.

Amol
Tambe,
Superintendent
of
Police,
Pune
ACB,
stated
on
Wednesday,
“We
have
recorded
the
complainant’s
statement
and
forwarded
the
complaint
to
ACB
headquarters
along
with
the
evidence.”
He
added
that
they
are
awaiting
directions
from
the
headquarters
on
whether
to
incorporate
this
new
complaint
into
the
ongoing
inquiry
or
to
conduct
a
separate
open
inquiry.

Ongoing
Investigations

The
Nashik
division
of
the
ACB
is
already
conducting
an
inquiry
into
Dilip
Khedkar’s
assets.
This
investigation
is
focused
on
determining
if
his
assets
are
disproportionate
to
his
known
sources
of
income.
The
Ahmednagar
unit
is
handling
this
ongoing
inquiry
under
the
Nashik
ACB’s
supervision.

Meanwhile,
Puja
Khedkar’s
parents,
Manorama
and
Dilip
Khedkar,
have
been
untraceable
since
police
registered
an
FIR
against
them.
This
FIR
was
filed
over
a
video
allegedly
showing
Manorama
threatening
individuals
with
a
gun
during
a
land
dispute
in
Mulshi
tehsil
of
Pune
district.

Legal
Actions
and
Video
Evidence

The
Paud
police
in
Pune
rural
have
booked
the
Khedkar
couple
and
five
others
under
various
sections
of
the
Bharatiya
Nyay
Sanhita
(BNS),
including
section
323
for
dishonest
or
fraudulent
removal
or
concealment
of
property.
The
two-minute-long
video
shows
Manorama
Khedkar
wielding
a
pistol,
accompanied
by
her
security
guards,
in
a
heated
argument
with
some
people
at
Dhadwali
village.

Puja
Khedkar
is
also
under
scrutiny
for
her
claims
regarding
disability
and
OBC
certificates
used
to
clear
the
IAS
exams.
Additionally,
her
conduct
during
her
tenure
at
the
Pune
collector’s
office
is
being
examined.

Government
Response

In
light
of
these
controversies,
the
government
has
put
on
hold
Puja
Khedkar’s
district
training
program.
She
was
earlier
transferred
to
Washim
as
a
supernumerary
assistant
collector
from
Pune
but
has
now
been
summoned
back
to
the
Lal
Bahadur
Shastri
National
Academy
of
Administration
for
necessary
action.

The
Pune
ACB
unit
has
sought
directions
from
its
headquarters
due
to
the
existing
inquiry
by
the
Nashik
division.
They
need
guidance
on
whether
to
merge
this
new
complaint
with
the
ongoing
investigation
or
initiate
a
separate
one.

This
situation
continues
to
develop
as
authorities
await
further
instructions
from
higher-ups.
The
outcome
will
determine
how
these
allegations
against
Dilip
Khedkar
will
be
handled
moving
forward.