Pune: Pooja Khedkar, a dismissed trainee IAS officer, has formally appealed to Maharashtra's Chief Secretary, challenging the report submitted by the Ahmednagar District Collector regarding her Non-Creamy Layer, caste, and disability certificates.

Khedkar, in her letter, has expressed her dissatisfaction with the findings of the investigation and has requested that her case be reassigned to a different District Collector for further inquiry.

The controversy dates back to the time when Khedkar appeared for the UPSC exam and submitted several crucial documents, including her caste certificate, Non-Creamy Layer certificate, and disability certificate.

Questions were raised about the authenticity of these documents. Consequently, the Ahmednagar District Collector conducted a thorough investigation, concluding that the documents submitted by Khedkar contained discrepancies.

Based on these findings, the Collector recommended the cancellation of these certificates to the state government.

Subsequently, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) reviewed the complaints and took action, leading to Khedkar’s dismissal from her role as a trainee IAS officer.

However, Khedkar has now objected to the findings of the Ahmednagar District Collector and has taken her grievances to the Chief Secretary.

In her complaint, she claims that the report submitted to the higher committee by the Ahmednagar Collector is fabricated and requests that the case be transferred to another District Collector for a more impartial investigation.

The UPSC, on July 31, had officially annulled her candidature, citing her actions as fraudulent and detrimental to the integrity of the Commission and the public. The agency also sought custodial interrogation to further investigate the scope of the alleged conspiracy.