Supreme Court Protects Ex-IAS Officer Puja Khedkar from Arrest
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Synopsis
On January 15, the Supreme Court provided interim protection against arrest for Puja Khedkar, a dismissed IAS officer. Khedkar faces allegations of submitting fraudulent OBC and PwBD certificates to gain improper advantages in the Civil Services Examination. The court has requested responses from the Delhi Police and UPSC by February 14.
Key Takeaways
- Supreme Court intervenes to protect Puja Khedkar from arrest.
- Khedkar submitted allegedly fake OBC and PwBD certificates.
- Delhi Police and UPSC ordered to respond by February 14.
- Earlier bail plea dismissed by Delhi High Court.
- Investigation into potential collusion within UPSC ongoing.
New Delhi, Jan 15 (NationPress) In a temporary ruling issued on Wednesday, the Supreme Court mandated that no coercive measures be enforced against the dismissed Maharashtra cadre probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar. She is accused of presenting fraudulent OBC and PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities) certificates and illegally availed attempts beyond the allowed limits for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) by impersonating another individual.
The Supreme Court, while addressing Khedkar's plea for anticipatory bail, instructed both the Delhi Police and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to submit a response by February 14.
During this period, the bench led by Justice Nagarathna has provided temporary protection to Khedkar from being arrested.
Previously, the Delhi High Court had rejected her plea for pre-arrest bail and lifted its earlier order that had shielded her from detention.
On December 15, 2024, a ruling from Justice Chandra Dhari Singh indicated that there appeared to be a compelling case against Khedkar, stressing that custodial questioning was necessary to uncover the truth regarding the allegations.
The decision regarding her anticipatory bail plea was reserved by the Justice Singh-led bench on November 28, 2024, after listening to arguments from both parties. It was emphasized that the interim relief provided earlier on August 12 would remain in effect until the final ruling.
Prior to this, a lower court had declined her anticipatory bail request and directed the investigative team to determine if any individuals within the UPSC had supported Khedkar in her actions. Expanding the investigation's scope, Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala instructed the Delhi Police to explore whether other candidates recommended by the UPSC had improperly benefited from quotas.
On September 7, 2024, the government dismissed Khedkar from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) with immediate effect, a month after the UPSC annulled her selection in public service.
Khedkar was found guilty of falsifying and misusing OBC and disability quota benefits. Following the cancellation of her selection, the UPSC also permanently barred her from taking the entrance examination after discovering her identity fraud to gain multiple attempts.
A status report presented to the Delhi High Court by the police indicated that Khedkar had submitted two distinct disability certificates for her UPSC examination. These certificates, dated 2018 and 2021, claimed 'multiple disabilities' and were allegedly issued by the Ahmednagar District Civil Hospital for her attempts in 2022 and 2023. However, the hospital authorities denied issuing these certificates.
It was revealed that Khedkar had utilized relaxed criteria for OBC candidates and individuals with disabilities.
Further investigation disclosed that her father, a former government official in Maharashtra, possessed assets worth Rs 40 crore, indicating that she did not qualify for the non-creamy layer OBC quota.
The UPSC noted that its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) was unable to identify her number of attempts primarily due to her changing not only her name but also her parents’ names.
