Trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar has accused Pune Collector Suhas Divase of harassment, police sources told NDTV Tuesday evening

Ms Khedkar is being investigated by the government over allegations she lied about visual and mental disabilities to clear the Civil Services entrance examination, and then abused her post (she was appointed Assistant Collector, Pune) to secure a range of perks not available for junior officers.

Ms Khedkar, 23, was this afternoon recalled from her post in Maharashtra’s Washim – she had been transferred there by Mr Divase after the allegations broke – and directed to return to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Uttarakhand.

READ | Trainee IAS Officer Puja Khedkar Recalled, Training On Hold

Last week the government had set up a one-member panel to investigate the claims.

Earlier sources said Ms Khedkar called police to her home yesterday to share information on “certain matters”. She spoke to three women cops from 11 pm to 1 am.

READ | Trainee IAS Officer Puja Khedkar Called Cops Home, Spoke For 2 Hours

Last week the Collector’s office released a preliminary report that contained screenshots of WhatsApp chats between Ms Khedkar and an unidentified individual Mr Divase’s office.

In her messages Ms Khedkar had demanded details about her office and a government car, neither of which is available to on-probation employees.

This too, she was told, would be “discussed with collector sir on Monday”.

On May 23 – 10 days before her posting began – an apparently impatient Ms Khedkar messaged, “Any update about accommodation, travel, cabin, etc?” There was no reply.

READ | “Please Get It Done Before I Join…”: Puja Khedkar’s Messages

Four days later she sent an ultimatum of sorts.

“Pls get the designated cabin n vehicle done before I join on 3rd. Later there will be no time. If it is not possible let me know, I will talk to collector sir accordingly…”

A 2023-batch IAS officer, Ms Khedkar faces multiple allegations, including lying about her OBC status, and using a siren (a red beacon reserved for VIP government vehicles) and a ‘Government of Maharashtra’ for her private vehicle, a luxury Audi sedan.

There is also controversy growing over her claims of physical, mental, and visual disabilities.

READ | “Someone Doubted…”: Doctor On Trainee IAS Officer’s Disability Claim

It has emerged that Ms Khedkar, at the time of clearing joining formalities for the Civil Services, had skipped multiple calls for a medical test to confirm her infirmities.

And this week it emerged that after skipping the last call she approached a Pune hospital for a certificate for her locomotor disability. That request was rejected. However, a Pipri hospital obliged, diagnosing her with an “old ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear with left knee instability”.

Ms Khedkar, whose parents are now roiled in cases too, had so far refused to comment on her situation, insisting that “government rules” forbade her from making a statement. On Monday, though, she did. She hit out at the “media trial” surrounding her actions.

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The Calcutta High Court today restrained West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from making any defamatory or incorrect statement against Governor CV Ananda Bose, noting the freedom of speech is “not an unfettered right” under which defamatory statements can be made.

“The defendants are restrained from making any defamatory or incorrect statement against the plaintiff (the Governor) by way of publication and on social platforms till 14th August 2024,” the court, which will next hear the case on August 14, said.

“If at this stage, an interim order is not granted it would give the free hands to the defendants to continue making defamatory statements against the plaintiff and continue to tarnish the reputation of the plaintiff,” it added.

The court said that the right to freedom of speech and expression is “not an unfettered right in the garb of which defamatory statements can be made to tarnish the reputation of a person”.

Mr Bose had sought to restrain Ms Banerjee, two newly elected MLAs and another Trinamool Congress leader from issuing remarks in connection with alleged incidents at Raj Bhavan.

The Bengal Governor filed the defamation suit against Mamata Banerjee’s comment that women had expressed fear about visiting the Raj Bhavan. She made the comment while expressing her displeasure over the confusion regarding the oath-taking ceremony of two newly elected party MLAs. She had backed their decision of not accepting the Governor’s invitation to go to Raj Bhavan and attend the oath ceremony there.

The MLAs, Sayantika Banerjee and Reyat Hossain Sarkar, had written to him seeking to take oath at the assembly from the Speaker of the House or the Governor himself.

“Why will the two newly-elected MLAs go to the Raj Bhavan? As it is, after what has happened at Raj Bhavan, women are scared to go there. I have received complaints,” the Chief Minister said then.

On May 2, a contractual woman employee of Raj Bhavan had alleged harassment by Mr Bose following which the Kolkata Police also started a probe. Under Article 361 of the Constitution, no criminal proceedings can be instituted against a Governor during his or her term in office.

Mr Bose has criticised Ms Banerjee’s remarks for creating “erroneous and slanderous impressions”.

During the July 15 hearing, the Trinamool Congress chief stood by her statement and said, through her lawyer, that her remarks were a fair comment on issues of public interest and not defamatory.

Ms Banerjee’s lawyer submitted that she merely echoed the apprehensions of women over certain alleged activities in Raj Bhavan.

The matter first came up for hearing on July 3. However, on that day, the court directed that the media houses whose reports were the basis of the defamation should be made parties in the case. Then, July 4 was scheduled as the next date of hearing.

When the matter came up for hearing again on July 4, the Governor’s counsel told the court that the hearing in the matter had not been enlisted in the records of the Calcutta High Court.

Thereafter, the court adjourned the hearing and fixed July 10 as the next date of hearing. The matter was again scheduled for a hearing on July 15.

Besides the Chief Minister, Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh and MLAs Sayantika Banerjee from Baranagar and Reyat Hossain Sarkar from Bhagawangola have been named in the suit.

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