Pune court extends police custody of Puja Khedkar’s mother Manorama till July 22

Pune: A court in Maharashtra’s Pune district on Saturday extended till July 22 the police custody of Manorama Khedkar, mother of IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, in a case concerning alleged criminal intimidation tied to a land dispute.

Police booked Puja’s parents Manorama and Dilip and four others after a video surfaced showing her allegedly threatening some persons with a gun over a land dispute at Dhadwali village in the district’s Mulshi tehsil in 2023.

The prosecution told the court that they had recovered the pistol used in the crime.

The Paud police in Pune rural had booked the Khedkar couple and other accused under IPC sections, including 307 (attempt to murder), 144 (unlawful assembly armed with deadly weapon), 147 (rioting) and 506 (criminal intimidation) besides invoking the Arms Act.

Manorama was apprehended on Thursday morning from a lodge, where she was hiding, at Hirkaniwadi village near Mahad in Raigad district.

Public Prosecutor Amar Nanaware told the court on Saturday that there was progress in the investigation as the police had recovered a pistol and a vehicle used in the crime.

Seeking her further custody, the public prosecutor said Manorama had disclosed the names of two male accused seen in the video but was silent on the other two unidentified female accused.

Defence counsel Vijay Jagtap argued that the IPC section 307 (attempt to murder) is not applicable in the case as no bullet was fired and that she deserves bail.

A sessions court here on Thursday granted interim protection from arrest till July 25 to the controversial IAS officer’s father Dilip Khedkar.

According to police, Manorama, Dilip and four others threatened one Pandharinath Pasalkar (65) with a gun over a land dispute at Dhadwali village in Mulshi tehsil on June 4, 2023.

Puja Khedkar faces a litany of allegations, including misconduct over power and privileges, misuse of disability and Other Backward Class (non-creamy layer) quotas to secure her candidature in the civic service exam and manipulation of her identity to take the exam beyond permissible attempts.

While the Centre has formed a committee to re-examine the documents presented by her to secure her candidature in the civil services examination and then for selection in the service, a criminal case has been registered against her for "misrepresenting and falsifying facts" following a "thorough investigation" by the UPSC.