The UPSC on Wednesday opposed former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea in the Delhi High Court, alleging she committed fraud by cheating and misusing OBC and disability quota benefits.
The commission argued that her actions were a fraud against both the commission and the public. The Delhi Police also requested that the court deny her bail, stating that granting it could impede their investigation into a “deep-rooted conspiracy” with significant implications for public trust and the integrity of the civil services examination.
Justice Subramonium Prasad has scheduled a hearing for August 29 and extended the interim protection from arrest for Puja Khedkar. In its court filing, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) argued that Khedkar’s custodial interrogation is crucial to uncover the full extent of the alleged fraud, which, they contend, could not have been executed without assistance from others. Therefore, the UPSC urged that her pre-arrest bail plea be denied.
“The gravity of the fraud committed is unprecedented in nature having been committed against not only a constitutional body — the complainant — whose traditions are untrammelled and unparalleled but also against the public at large, including the citizens of this country who have utmost faith upon the credibility of the UPSC as well as persons who could not be appointed despite being duly eligible and qualified due to illegal means employed by the applicant to seek appointment,” the reply filed through advocate Vardhman Kaushik said, PTI reported.
The court has granted Puja Khedkar time to respond to the positions taken by the UPSC and the Delhi Police.
Khedkar is accused of misrepresenting information in her application for the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2022 to obtain reservation benefits. The Delhi Police’s status report reveals that Khedkar, who was not eligible for benefits as an “OBC+Non-Creamy Layer” candidate, allegedly conspired with others to secure these benefits by falsely claiming her parents were divorced.
The investigation suggests that Khedkar’s parents were actually living together, and she made a false declaration regarding her number of attempts in the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2021, under a different name. According to the report, she had exhausted all permissible attempts available to a PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities) + OBC candidate by CSE 2020, making her ineligible to sit for CSE 2021 and subsequent exams.
Despite this, Khedkar reportedly appeared for CSE 2021, CSE 2022, and CSP 2023 by changing her name and providing false information about her attempts and personal details. The report also noted that while Khedkar claimed no connection with her father and represented her mother’s income as below the threshold for “OBC+Non-Creamy Layer” benefits, her family owns 12 vehicles, including a Mercedes, BMW, and Thar SUV.
Last month, the UPSC took action against Khedkar, including filing a criminal case against her for faking her identity to obtain exam attempts. The Delhi Police has registered an FIR under the Indian Penal Code, Information Technology Act, and Right of Persons with Disabilities Act. On July 31, the UPSC canceled Khedkar’s candidature and barred her from future examinations.
(With PTI Inputs)