Puja Khedkar faces scrutiny over OBC reservation certificate

A show cause notice has been issued to former IAS officer Puja Khedkar over her non-creamy layer certificate. This certificate allows people from certain backgrounds to benefit from reservations in jobs and education. Khedkar was previously dismissed from her job for faking her identity and misusing quotas for Other Backward Classes (OBC) and disabilities. She obtained the non-creamy layer certificate from the district collector’s office in Ahilyanagar to access these benefits. Officials raised concerns after learning that the Khedkar family’s income likely exceeded the limits set for the certificate. Khedkar's father worked as a Class I officer, which added to these suspicions. To investigate, the Nashik divisional commissioner reviewed the findings from the collector's office. This review showed that Khedkar's parents owned 12 properties, leading to questions about her eligibility for the non-creamy layer status.