Dilip Khedkar, father of trainee Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar, has been granted pre-arrest bail until July 25 by a local court. Khedkar, along with his wife Manorama, faces allegations of threatening a person with a firearm in a land dispute case.
Judge AN Mare granted Khedkar “ad-interim protection from arrest” until the next court hearing. If Khedkar is arrested before July 25, he is assured release on bail, according to his lawyer. The case involves multiple charges, including attempt to murder (IPC Section 307), unlawful assembly armed with a deadly weapon (IPC Section 144), rioting (IPC Section 147), and criminal intimidation (IPC Section 506). The FIR was filed following a viral video showing Manorama Khedkar allegedly threatening individuals with a gun in Dhadwali village, Pune’s Mulshi tehsil.
Manorama Khedkar was detained and remanded to police custody until Saturday in connection with the same case. Dilip Khedkar’s bail is a temporary reprieve while the legal proceedings continue.
In a separate development, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has announced that it filed a case against Puja Khedkar for allegedly falsifying her identity to fraudulently gain additional attempts in the Civil Services Examination (CSE). The commission has indicated it will debar her from future selections. Puja Khedkar, a member of the 2022 Maharashtra cadre, has responded by stating that she will address the charges through the judicial process.
Sources By Agencies
