By Purva Chitnis

Puja Khedkar, a 2023 batch officer, had demanded a car with a VIP number plate and an official chamber. Her father, a retired IAS officer, had also allegedly threatened the district staff.

Three months after Puja Khedkar, a trainee IAS officer on probation in the Pune collector’s office, began allegedly harassing officers there by demanding an official car with a VIP number plate and an official chamber with adequate staff, the Maharashtra government Tuesday transferred her out of the district, ThePrint has learnt.
The 2023 batch Maharashtra cadre officer was moved to Washim as supernumerary assistant collector.
The Maharashtra government’s decision comes a fortnight after Pune district collector Suhas Diwase wrote to the outgoing Maharashtra chief secretary Nitin Kareer, complaining about the probationary officer’s misconduct.
In the letter dated 24 June, Diwase had said that not only did Khedkar make outlandish demands, her father Dilip Khedkar, a retired IAS officer, had also allegedly intimidated the district staff, claiming they were mistreating his daughter, and warned them of repercussions.
ThePrint has accessed a copy of Diwase’s letter.
The district collector had further alleged that Khedkar had also tried to set up her office inside the ante-chamber of Additional Collector Ajay More without his permission, when he was on a visit to the Maharashtra Secretariat in Mumbai between 18 and 20 June. She had also allegedly removed items like table, chair, sofa, etc from More’s ante-chamber and illegally put up her name plate outside the office.
After More returned, Diwase had asked him to take charge of his ante-chamber, the letter read.
Khedkar had also installed an amber light on her private car, which she would keep on even during the day, according to the letter.
“When I spoke to her, what I realised is that she has a lot of expectations from the administration, just because she is an IAS officer. She is demanding all these things, along with respect, as she feels it is her right. I personally spoke to her and tried to explain to her that she will get all of this once she completes her probation and does her duties diligently. But this is of no use and her behaviour does not suit the administration,” Diwase had written.
Calls and messages to Collector Diwase went unanswered. ThePrint also tried to reach out to Khedkar via message. The response is awaited and will be updated.
The conduct of Khedkar has been slammed by several bureaucrats. Khedkar’s list of demands is unheard of for a trainee officer, retired civil servants told ThePrint.
“This is ridiculous. I think she has completely wrong notions about what the IAS is about and what the IAS is supposed to deliver. This kind of person can do a lot of damage to the service. This is not what is expected,” retired IAS officer and former Cabinet secretary, K.M. Chandrashekhar, said.
He added that back when he was on probation in Calicut (Kozhikode) in Kerala, there was no room or car given to him. He just had a stenographer and a peon then.
Another former officer, T.R. Raghunandan, echoed the thought. “The probationary officer is supposed to be learning about the job on probation,” he said.
According to the rules, a probationary officer has to complete a two-year training before being appointed.
Raghunandan explained that when sent to a state cadre, a trainee is expected to take a crash course in the state’s language, if he/she is from a different state. The trainee officer is usually sent to a district for eight months, where the officer is expected to work in different departments.
Sometimes, the collector may also take the trainee with him/her everywhere for a more holistic experience, said Raghunandan, who underwent his probation in Ballari in Karnataka.
“This is what the trainee is supposed to do — learn on the job. Nowhere is the officer given a separate office or car,” he added.
Raghunandan, who even trained new IAS recruits post retirement, further said, “As an IAS officer, the person gets a little bit more attention. Nowadays, these officers become instant celebrities. It is very sad. The problem is that it is easy for a young person to allow this to go to their head.”
“What must have happened is that she had probably seen all this as a youngster. It is very important for an IAS officer to remain grounded,” he added.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)

Courtesy: The Print