Pune: Father of IAS Puja Khedkar, Dilip Khedkar had served with the Maharashtra government and faced two suspensions during his tenure. Additionally, while serving as the Director of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board, Khedkar was forcibly retired by the government.
From 2007, Dilip Khedkar served as a Divisional Officer in the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board in Kolhapur for three years. During this period, he was accused of various malpractices.
According to a post by a user on X, Khedkar visited numerous factories, pointing out issues such as the size of chimneys or scrubbers, and then handed out his company's (Thermoverita Engineering Private Limited) business card, demanding advance payments within eight days or threatening closure. His wife, brother-in-law, and Puja Khedkar were allegedly directors of this company.
The user in his post says, "A stack (chimney) typically costs between 1 to 2 lakhs in the market, but through Khedkar's company , it was priced between 20 to 22 lakhs. Nearly 15 to 17 foundries that did not purchase the chimney from their company received closure notices."
In 2019, Sona Alloys Private Limited in Satara accused Khedkar of harassment for refusing to pay an additional bribe. Suprabha Polymer and Packaging in Pune also accused him of demanding a 20 lakh rupee bribe. These allegations led to Khedkar's suspension during MVA government in 2020.
Due to numerous complaints, the Maharashtra government forced Dilip Khedkar into compulsory retirement in 2023. After his retirement, Khedkar contested the Lok Sabha elections on a Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi ticket.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) Pune unit has received a complaint against him, calling for an investigation into his alleged disproportionate assets.
The Nashik division of the ACB is currently investigating these allegations. Pune division has sought guidance on whether to include the new complaint in the ongoing investigation or to conduct a separate inquiry.
