The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Wednesday cancelled the provisional candidature of trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar and barred her permanently from appearing in all the future exams conducted by the commission, officials said.
Puja Khedkar is accused of misusing the disability and Other Backward Class quotas to secure her candidature in the civil services.
The UPSC had issued Khedkar a showcause notice on July 18 for “fraudulently availing attempts beyond the permissible limit provided for in the Examination Rules by faking her identity”. She was asked to submit her response to the notice by July 25, but she asked for further time till August 4. The UPSC allowed her till 3.30 pm on July 30 to make her submissions.
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“Despite an extension in time allowed to her, she failed to submit her explanation within the prescribed time. The UPSC has examined the available records carefully and found her guilty of acting in contravention of the provisions of the CSE-2022 Rules. Her provisional candidature for the CSE-2022 has been cancelled and she has also been debarred permanently from all the future Examinations/Selections of the UPSC,” a UPSC statement said, Indian Express reported.
It added that in the backdrop of Khedkar’s case, the UPSC had examined the data of the over 15,000 recommended candidates from 2009 to 2023, and found that apart from her, no other candidate had availed of more attempts than what is permitted under the CSE Rules.
Regarding the submission of false disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) certificates, the UPSC said it carries out preliminary scrutiny and considers the certificates genuine if they are issued by the competent authority.
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“The UPSC neither has the mandate nor the wherewithal to check the veracity of thousands of certificates submitted by the candidates every year. However, it is understood that scrutiny and verification of genuineness of certificates is carried out by the authorities mandated with this task,” it said.
The 2023-batch IAS officer, previously serving as a probationary assistant collector at the Pune district collectorate, was transferred to Washim from Pune earlier this month amid allegations that she misrepresented herself under the physical disabilities category.
During her tenure in Pune, Puja Khedkar allegedly misused her power and privileges by demanding perks and facilities she was not entitled to. Even her mother, Manorama Khedkar, is currently in judicial custody in a criminal case linked to a land dispute.