Former IAS Trainee Puja Khedkar Requests Anticipatory Bail from SC
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Synopsis
The Supreme Court will hear Puja Khedkar's anticipatory bail plea on January 15. The former IAS trainee is accused of submitting false OBC and PwBD certificates and exceeding permissible attempts for the Civil Services Examination by misrepresenting her identity. She was dismissed from service for these actions.
Key Takeaways
- Puja Khedkar has sought anticipatory bail from the Supreme Court.
- She is accused of submitting fraudulent certificates.
- The Delhi High Court previously denied her bail.
- Investigations revealed she may have exploited quota benefits.
- Her IAS appointment was revoked following these findings.
New Delhi, Jan 14 (NationPress) The Supreme Court is set to review the anticipatory bail application of Puja Khedkar, a dismissed probationary IAS officer from the Maharashtra cadre. She is accused of submitting fraudulent OBC and PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities) certificates and unlawfully exceeding the permissible attempts for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) by misrepresenting her identity.
According to the causelist released on the apex court's website, a bench comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna and S.C. Sharma will consider Khedkar’s bail plea on January 15.
Previously, the Delhi High Court had rejected Khedkar’s pre-arrest bail request and overturned its earlier ruling that had protected her from arrest.
In its ruling on December 15, Justice Chandra Dhari Singh stated that a strong case appeared to exist against Khedkar, emphasizing that custodial interrogation is essential to uncover the facts surrounding the allegations.
The bench led by Justice Singh had reserved its decision on her anticipatory bail plea on November 28 after listening to both parties. It was clarified that the interim protection from arrest granted on August 12 would remain until the judgment is issued.
Prior to this, a local court had denied her anticipatory bail and instructed the investigating agency to determine whether anyone within the UPSC had aided Khedkar.
In a bid to expand the investigation, Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala directed the Delhi Police to explore if other individuals recommended by the UPSC had also wrongfully received quota benefits.
The Centre terminated Khedkar’s employment from the IAS on September 7, 2024, shortly after the UPSC annulled her selection for government service.
Khedkar has been found guilty of fabricating and incorrectly claiming OBC and disability quota advantages. Following the cancellation of her selection, the UPSC permanently barred her from taking the entrance exam due to her identity fraud that allowed her to attempt the exam multiple times.
A status report presented to the Delhi High Court by the Delhi Police indicated that Khedkar submitted two separate disability certificates for her UPSC examination. These certificates, dated 2018 and 2021 and indicating 'multiple disabilities', were allegedly issued by the Ahmednagar District Civil Hospital for her UPSC attempts in 2022 and 2023.
However, the authorities at the hospital denied issuing any certificates claiming 'multiple disabilities' for her.
It was discovered that Khedkar had utilized relaxed criteria for OBC candidates and persons with disabilities. Further investigations revealed that her father, a former officer in the Maharashtra government, possessed assets valued at Rs 40 crore, disqualifying her from the non-creamy layer OBC quota.
The UPSC noted that its standard operating procedures (SOP) failed to identify her number of attempts, primarily because she altered not just her name but also her parents' names.
