Pooja Khedkar submitted non-creamy layer OBC certificate for MBBS admission in 2007: Medical college director
The Hindu
Earlier, Pune RTI activist Vijay Kumbhar had raised questions about Ms. Khedkar’s appointment alleging that she did not fall under the OBC non-creamy layer as her father had assets worth ₹40 crore
Amidst the ongoing controversy over probationary Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Pooja Khedkar, it has now been revealed that Ms. Khedkar had submitted a non-creamy layer OBC Certificate to secure admission to MBBS in 2007.
As per information given by Arvind Bhore, Director of Shrimati Kashibai Navale Medical College and General Hospital, the 2023 batch IAS officer from the Maharashtra cadre had secured a seat for the MBBS course in the college through the Association of Management of Unaided Private Medical and Dental Colleges of Maharashtra (AMUPDMC) entrance test and had scored 146 marks out of 200.
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She was enrolled in the college's first batch in 2007. Giving further information, Mr. Bhore said that she had also taken the CET exams but since she achieved a better score in the AMUPDMC exam the seat was given on that basis. The AMUPMDC exam no longer exists after the introduction of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET).
Mr. Khedkar had secured a seat in the college under the reserved Nomadic tribe-3 category, furnishing a non-creamy layer OBC certificate.
Mr. Bhore said, "She had provided a non-creamy layer certificate of the NT-3 category of the Vanjari community at the time of the admission. We had checked all the documents at the time of submission and found them to be authentic government records. The issuing authority was from Ahmednagar district."
He also added, "She had submitted her medical fitness certificate and according to that she was medically fit."