A court in Pune (Maharashtra) has remanded Manorama Khedkar, the mother of IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, in police custody until July 20. She was arrested on July 18 (Thursday) for allegedly threatening a person with a gun over a land dispute in June last year.
Following her arrest, Manorama Khedkar was presented before the Judicial Magistrate Court in Pune, where a request for seven days of police custody was made. The prosecution informed the court that Section 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code had been added to the FIR against Manorama Khedkar, along with other sections related to unlawful assembly, rioting, criminal intimidation, and the Arms Act.
Manorama was apprehended at a lodge in Raigad district, where she had been hiding, and was subsequently brought before a judicial magistrate. The prosecution alleged that Manorama, along with her husband and three others, threatened the complainant with a gun, and that Section 307 was added because she allegedly placed the gun to the complainant’s head and was about to pull the trigger.
The defense counsel opposed the plea for police custody, arguing that the case against Manorama was an afterthought and that there were no valid grounds for Section 307 in the FIR. They contended that Section 307 was included only after a supplementary statement from the complainant, and that all sections in the FIR were available.
The Public Prosecutor presented a viral video of the incident to the court and argued that the arrested accused is an influential person with political connections. The prosecutor also noted that other accused individuals still need to be arrested, making custodial interrogation necessary to investigate their whereabouts.
After considering both sides, the court granted police custody until July 20. This development comes amid controversy surrounding Puja Khedkar’s claims regarding disability and OBC certificates, as well as her behavior during her tenure at the Pune Collector office.
