Pune Court Remands IAS Officer’s Mother in Custody Over Land Dispute

A local court in Pune has remanded Manorama Khedkar, the mother of IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, in police custody until July 20. She was arrested for allegedly threatening a person with a gun over a land dispute. Charges of attempted murder have been added to the FIR against her.

A local court in Pune district, Maharashtra, has remanded Manorama Khedkar, mother of IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, in police custody until July 20. Manorama Khedkar was arrested on Thursday for allegedly threatening a person with a gun over a land dispute in June last year. She was produced before the Judicial Magistrate Court in Pune with a request for seven days of police custody.

The prosecution informed the court that Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code was added to the FIR against Manorama Khedkar along with sections related to unlawful assembly, rioting, criminal intimidation, and the Arms Act. Manorama was arrested from a lodge in Raigad district and produced before a judicial magistrate. The prosecution alleged that Manorama, along with others, threatened the complainant with a gun and nearly pulled the trigger.

The defence counsel opposed police custody, arguing that the case was an afterthought and that there were no valid concerns regarding Section 307 in the FIR. The Public Prosecutor presented a viral video of the incident to the court and stated that the accused is an influential person with political contacts, necessitating custodial interrogation to probe the whereabouts of other accused individuals.

After hearing both sides, the court granted police custody until July 20. This development comes amidst controversy surrounding Puja Khedkar's claims about disability and OBC certificates and her conduct during her tenure at the Pune Collector's office. (ANI)

(With inputs from agencies.)