Maharashtra
IAS Puja Khedkar Used OBC Quota To Get Admission In MBBS; ‘She Didn’t Submit Disability Certificate’, Claims College Director

The trainee IAS officer, Puja Khedkar, who is at the center of a controversy involving alleged misuse of power and violation of the appointment rules, secured admission to an MBBS college using the OBC non-creamy layer quota, reports showed on Monday.
Khedkar was admitted to Pune’s Kashibai Navale Medical College under the OBC Nomadic Tribe-3 category, reserved for the Vanjari community.
At the time of her admission, her father was a serving bureaucrat in Maharashtra. Reports suggest that Khedkar’s admission was through the private college’s entrance examination, bypassing her Common Entrance Test (CET) score.
However, Arvind Bhore, the director of Kashibai Navale Medical College, contested this claim, stating that Khedkar was admitted in 2007 through the CET. Bhore also noted that she had submitted the necessary certificates, along with a medical fitness certificate that did not mention any disability.
The scrutiny of Khedkar’s non-creamy OBC status and her Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD) certificate intensified after she allegedly demanded a separate cabin and staff during her posting in Pune, which led to her abrupt transfer to Washim district.
In August 2022, Khedkar applied for a PwBD certificate in Pune, but the medical board denied her request.
It was reported that the board found it “not possible” to issue the certificate after examining her.
Khedkar’s father defends legitimacy of her disability certificate
Khedkar’s father, retired bureaucrat Dilip Khedkar, defended the legitimacy of the disability certificate, stating that Puja suffers from vision impairment exceeding 40 per cent, meeting the criteria for disability.
He further claimed that a panel of medical experts verified her disabilities before issuing the certificate.
Khedkar mentioned that his daughter has a certain category of mental illness, which was also verified by medical professionals before the disability certificate was granted.
Pune police unable to track down Khedkar’s parents
Meanwhile, Police have been unable to trace Khedkar’s parents as a land dispute case was registered against them after a video of her mother threatening a farmer with a pistol in Pune district went viral.
As per reports, a team of Pune Rural police visited the bungalow of Manorama and Dilip Khedkar in the Baner area of the city on Monday morning. But it was unable to enter the premises as there was no response, and doors were locked from the inside.
The police are conducting searches in Pune and other areas to find the controversial trainee IAS officer’s parents.
An FIR was registered against the Khedkar couple and five others after a video showing Manorama allegedly threatening some persons with a gun over a land dispute emerged.
“A case has been registered at Paud police station. But the Khedkars have not visited the police station for inquiry and have turned off their mobile phones. Our teams are looking for them. Once found, they will be questioned, and legal action will be taken against them,” an official told.
The Khedkars and five others have been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), including section 323 (dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment of property) and the Arms Act.
The case was registered days after a video surfaced on social media, which showed Manorama, accompanied by her security guards, engaged in a heated argument with some people with a pistol in her hand in Dhadwali village in Pune’s Mulshi tehsil. The police are looking for others involved in the incident, including the guards, seen in the video.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra Dy CM Ajit Pawar Meets Muslim Leaders & Senior Police Officials Over Mosque Loudspeaker Controversy In Mumbai

Mumbai: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar on Wednesday chaired a crucial meeting at the Sahyadri Guest House to address growing concerns over the removal of loudspeakers from mosques in Mumbai. The meeting was attended by State Director General of Police Rashmi Shukla, Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti and several prominent Muslim leaders and MLAs, including Nawab Malik, Zeeshan Siddique, Abu Azmi, Waris Pathan, Sana Malik, Jallal Uddin and Siddharth Kamble.
The delegation expressed alarm over what they claim is police overreach in removing mosque loudspeakers, allegedly under pressure from a campaign launched by a former BJP MP. The leaders argued that the issue of Azaan is not new and has existed peacefully for generations. “Someone, some Somaiya, has created pressure in Mumbai. Because of one person, Muslims are being harassed,” said Samajwadi Party’s state president Abu Azmi after the meeting. “All sides were heard, and both the Commissioner and the DGP were present,” he said.
AIMIM leader Waris Pathan also echoed the sentiment, stating that the delegation included Muslim legislators, social workers, and community representatives. “We raised the issue of police forcibly removing loudspeakers from mosques and issuing notices without due process. This is creating unnecessary tension in the city,” Pathan said.
Muslim organisations from South Mumbai had earlier met with Pawar and submitted their concerns. They alleged that police were harassing mosque committees despite their compliance with High Court-decided permissible noise levels between 45 and 56 decibels. “There is no court order to remove loudspeakers outright,” the organisations pointed out. Action should be taken only if a violation is proven, such as issuing a notice or cancelling a licence. But instead, police are dismantling systems without proper verification, demanded the organisations.
The controversy is said to have intensified following visits by a BJP leader to areas like Govandi, where he reportedly pressured local police to act against mosques using loudspeakers. Muslim leaders have demanded a fair and transparent resolution to prevent communal disharmony and urged the government to issue clear directives to law enforcement based on legal parameters, not political pressure.
Maharashtra
Case filed against 4 people including Congress leader Vartak for cheating by posing as CBI officer

Mumbai: The Kasturba Marg police on Friday registered an FIR against four people, including Maharashtra Congress’s environment cell state president Sameer Vartak, who are accused of allegedly forcibly entering the Borivali residence of builder Anil Gupta on September 2, 2024 by posing as Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers and advising a ‘raid’.
The CBI has registered a case against four people, including a Congress worker, for conducting raids at the builder’s house. After the case was registered, the Congress has sacked Sameer Vartak from his post. Congress leader Harshvardhan Sapkal has resigned. The CBI has registered a case against four people, including a Congress worker, for conducting raids at the builder’s house. Vartak, who heads the environment cell of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, is accused of raiding the builder’s house along with three unidentified people posing as CBI officers after receiving a complaint and trying to extort money from him.
Gupta, 51, who owns a Vasai-based construction firm and is active in the Vasai-Virar area, lives in Kushal Heritage Building in Borivali East. Recently, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had searched his premises in connection with a land grabbing case related to the construction of 41 unauthorised buildings in Aggarwal Nagar, Vasai East. In his police complaint, Gupta said that on September 2, 2024, two men went to his house and claimed to be CBI officers, saying they were investigating a complaint filed against him by Vartak. They asked him to come down for questioning. When Gupta refused and asked for a copy of the complaint, the men called Vartak, who was allegedly waiting outside the building. Soon after, Vartak and another man who claimed to be a CBI officer arrived there. Gupta alleged that the group of four men threatened to arrest him and demanded a financial “settlement” to settle the case.
Gupta refused, saying he would cooperate with any legal investigation. The men then left, warning him that he would be summoned to the CBI office. Gupta approached the CBI headquarters in Delhi to confirm the claim and was told that no such complaint had been filed by Vartak. On November 19, the CBI wrote a letter to the Maharashtra Director General of Police, requesting him to take action against those involved. Gupta then approached the Kasturba Marg police with a formal complaint and CCTV footage from his residence to identify the accused. The police have registered a case under sections 3(5) (common intention), 204 (cheating by impersonating a public servant), 205 (forgery of official symbols) and 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Naya Sangh (BNS).
Senior police inspector Jiraj Ranavare said, “We conducted a preliminary inquiry and confirmed that these people were not CBI officials. We are confirming the identity of the three people who were with Vartak.” Vartak has denied the allegations. I was called to the spot by some people who introduced themselves as CBI officers. I had filed a complaint against Gupta and was just cooperating. It seems this is part of political vendetta, I am ready to face any investigation.
Crime
Major Twist In Baba Siddique Murder Case: Zeeshan Akhtar Was Recruited & Brainwashed By Bishnoi Gang Operative Akash Chauhan, Say Sources

Mumbai: In a major revelation in the high-profile murder case of NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) leader Baba Siddique, Mumbai Crime Branch sources have confirmed that Zeeshan Akhtar — currently detained in Canada — was not initially associated with the Bishnoi gang. He was allegedly recruited and brainwashed by Akash Chauhan, a key operative of the Bishnoi syndicate, at the behest of Anmol Bishnoi.
According to investigators, Zeeshan was previously affiliated with the rival Bambiha gang in Punjab and was considered a trusted hitman. Sources claim Akash Chauhan — currently lodged in Faridkot jail — played a crucial role in securing Zeeshan’s release from Jalandhar jail and persuaded him to join the Bishnoi gang with promises of lakhs in payment.
The turning point came after the Bishnoi syndicate decided to eliminate Baba Siddique. Acting on Anmol Bishnoi’s instructions from Patiala Jail, Akash Chauhan identified Zeeshan as a potential recruit. Chauhan then arranged for Zeeshan’s bail and, upon his release on June 7, Zeeshan met Chauhan directly.
It was during this meeting, sources said, that Zeeshan was convinced to take part in the murder plot. Under Chauhan’s instructions, Zeeshan recruited shooter Gurmel Singh and dispatched him to Mumbai. Zeeshan then contacted another wanted accused, Shubham Lonkar, to help orchestrate the plan.
Crime Branch officers are now preparing to designate Akash Chauhan as an accused in the case and initiate his transfer from Punjab to Mumbai for questioning. Officials confirmed that Chauhan has long-standing links with the Bishnoi syndicate and has played a role in several past contract killings.
Meanwhile, efforts to bring Zeeshan Akhtar back to India from Canada are actively underway, with Mumbai Crime Branch working closely with the CBI and international agencies. Investigators believe that Zeeshan’s interrogation could lead to more major revelations in the days to come.
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