Innocent till proven guilty, will speak to probe committee, says IAS officer Puja Khedkar trainee

WASHIM: Probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who along with her family are embroiled in controversies and currently under scrutiny of police and a probe committee, said on Monday she should be considered "innocent till proven guilty".

For the first time, Khedkar delved more than her routine 'no comments' one-liner and told reporters at Washim that "Indian constitution emphatically lays down the fact that a person is innocent till proven guilty". "A media trial is wrong. Every citizen enjoys rights under the Constitution. You can keep saying 'alleged', but proving me guilty like this (media trial) is wrong?"

While Khedkar got into trouble due to alleged out-of-turn demand for facilities during her posting at Pune district collector's office, her parents too got embroiled in controversies. Mother Manorama was seen wielding a gun in an old video, and her signed cheque to a BJP politician's NGO grabbed headlines.

When Khedkar was specifically asked if she felt the family was being targeted, she said, "I think everybody can see what's happening. And I don't want to comment on it as the media and public are intelligent. But, I can't comment either positively or negatively. Whatever is to be said, I will speak before the probe committee."

Khedkar did not confirm if she had been summoned by the committee yet. The panel is looking into allegations of her UPSC candidature and eligibility. "All these communications are official, I am not allowed to say anything," said Khedkar, who will spend this week at Washim district for training. She may leave for Akola next week to train with the tribal department.