In a recent development in the case against IAS officer Puja Khedkar, accused of misusing the disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) quota to secure her civil service position, a Pune hospital has cleared her of any wrongdoing. The Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial (YCM) Hospital in Pune conducted an inquiry and confirmed that there was no malpractice in issuing a seven percent locomotor disability certificate to the 2023 batch trainee.
Dr. Rajendra Wable, Dean of YCM hospital, confirmed that the certificate was issued according to regulations, following a thorough assessment by the physiotherapy and orthopaedic departments. “The internal report confirmed that the certificate was issued following a thorough assessment by our physiotherapy and orthopaedic departments and the medical test conducted was as per rules and there was no foul play found,” Dr. Wable stated.
Furthermore, the investigation dismissed the possibility of Puja Khedkar’s claims of having a locomotor disability, asserting that the certificate did not provide any benefits for education or employment. “It has been clarified that the certificate would not provide any benefits in education or employment,” reported Hindustan Times.
The hospital launched this investigation after receiving a letter from the Collector’s office in Pune, seeking clarification regarding the medical certificate. The hospital verified that Puja Khedkar resided in the Pimpri Chinchwad area, but did not verify her address as it falls outside their jurisdiction. “Verifying the address doesn’t come under the office work of the hospital. We just have to see if the person belongs to the Pimpri Chinchwad area or not and that was checked,” said Dr. Wable.
On July 8, Puja Khedkar was transferred from Pune to Washim due to allegations of abusing her power. Despite being in her probationary period, she allegedly demanded special privileges and seized the office of an additional collector. This incident sparked concerns about potential misuse of the disability quota system.
While the hospital’s investigation has cleared Khedkar of wrongdoing in obtaining the disability certificate, the allegations of power abuse remain under scrutiny.
