Fraud in MBBS Admission? IAS Trainee, Dr Puja Khedkar accused of using OBC non-creamy certificate for admission at Pune Medical College

Pune: Probationary IAS officer Dr Puja Khedkar who is under the spotlight for allegedly submitting a fake disability certificate and OBC quota to secure a position in the IAS is now facing another controversy as a new drama unfolded regarding the legitimacy of her MBBS degree.   

Khedkar has been accused of securing her MBBS admission at Shrimati Kashibai Navale Medical College and General Hospital, Pune in 2007 under the Other Backward Class (OBC) Nomadic Tribe-3 category of the Vanjari community by using an OBC caste certificate. The statement in this regard came from the Director of the medical college Arvind Bhore. 

In an interview with ANI, Bhore informed that Khedre submitted an OBC caste certificate, caste validity and non-creamy layer certificate to gain admission at the college under the OBC Nomadic Tribe-3 category. When asked about any disability certificate presented by Khedkar during the admission, he said that she was found fit in her medical fitness certificate and had no disability. 

Also read- IAS Trainee, Dr Puja Khedkar Under Scanner For Alleged Misuse Of Power, An Endocrinologist?

Medical Dialogues team recently reported that her Maharashtra Medical Council registration and National Medical Council records mentioned her registration as an MBBS however no specialisation or super specialization degree was mentioned in the records. Now doubts have been raised regarding the legitimacy of her medical qualifications, prompting questions about the credibility of her professional history.

According to media reports, speculations are arising regarding the use of the same fake OBC certificate while gaining admission at the medical college to become a doctor which she used in the UPSC to become an IAS officer. 

Speaking to ANI, Bhore said, "She took admission in 2007... She got admission through CET, where she gave some certificates of reservation... She had submitted the caste certificate, caste validity and non-creamy layer certificate... She completed her internship in due course of time...She also submitted the certificate of medical fitness which does not mention any disability there..."

As per a TOI news report, Bhore said, "She secured admission through the entrance test conducted by the Association of Management of Unaided Private Medical and Dental Colleges of Maharashtra (AMUPMDC). She had scored 146 of 200 in the test."

Association of Managements of Unaided Private Medical and Dental Colleges, Maharashtra conducted the Common entrance test (ASSO CET) for admission to MBBS, BDS, BAMS, BHMS, BPTh, BOTh & BSc-Nursing courses in private un-aided medical colleges in the state of Maharashtra. However, AMUPMDC no longer exists after NEET's introduction. NEET was introduced in 2013 by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), as an attempt to unify all the medical entrance examinations across the country. It replaced AIPMT (All India Pre-Medical Test) and other state-level examinations.

The India Today reported that Puja Khedkar scored 83 per cent in Class 10 and 74 per cent in the Class 12 examination after which she appeared in the AMUPMDC entrance test by allegedly using a fake caste certificate to gain admission at Shrimati Kashibai Navale Medical College.

Medical Dialogues had reported that Puja Deeliprao Khedkar is a medical doctor who claimed to be practising as an endocrinologist. However, our team tried to track her super specialization degree but the same could not be found.

Her official records show that Puja Deeliprao Khedkar has been registered with the Maharastra Medical Council (MMC) since 2013 as an MBBS practitioner. As per medical council records, her registration was valid up to 26th March 2023 and has not been updated after that. While her LinkedIn profile which now stands deleted showed that she worked as an Endocrinologist at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi, both her MMC registration as well as her NMC records mention her registration as an MBBS with no specialisation or super specialization degree.

The controversy around Dr Puja Khedkar:

The 34-year-old IAS trainee officer is in the eye of the storm for allegedly misusing the disability of ‘blindness and mental illness’, Other Backward Class quota to secure a position in the IAS and her power. She has been accused of demanding a separate cabin, car, residential quarters and a peon before her appointment.

Khedkar, gained the attention of the media and the government after Pune Collector Suhas Diwase submitted a 25-page report to Nitin Gadre, the additional chief secretary accusing her of asking for privileges not typically provided to trainee officers which included demands for a separate office, official vehicle, staff and others. Diwase also accused her of using a private Audi car with a red-blue beacon light and a VIP number plate.

The Centre on Thursday formed a one-member panel to investigate the controversy involving Dr Khedkar. Official sources on Friday told the news agency that she may be terminated from service if found guilty.

They said all documents presented by her to secure her candidature in the civil services examination and then for selection in the service will be re-examined by a single-member committee.

Also read- With Face Covered, IAS Officer Inspects UP's Firozabad Health Centre; Finds Expired Medicines