During the hearing, the UPSA labeled Khedkar, accused of fraudulently passing her civil exam, as the “mastermind” behind the alleged irregularities.
The Delhi High Court on Monday granted interim protection from arrest to former IAS trainee Puja Khedkar, whose candidacy was recently revoked by the UPSC following allegations of cheating and misuse of OBC and disability quotas.
Justice Subramonium Prasad, presiding over the bench, extended interim relief to Khedkar until August 21 and issued notices to both the Delhi Police and the UPSC, directing them to respond to her anticipatory bail plea.
“Given the circumstances of the case, the court believes the petitioner should not be arrested until the next hearing,” remarked Justice Prasad during the proceedings.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for August 21.
Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra represented Khedkar, while Naresh Kaushik appeared on behalf of the UPSC.
UPSC Calls Puja Khedkar a ‘Mastermind’
During the hearing, the Union Public Service Commission accused Khedkar, who allegedly cleared her civil services exam through fraudulent means, of being the “mastermind” behind the irregularities.
“She is the mastermind; without her, this wouldn’t have been possible,” stated the UPSC.
Khedkar, a 2023-batch IAS officer, is under investigation for alleged irregularities in her civil service selection process. She is accused of manipulating her identity to sit for the civil services examination multiple times, exceeding the allowed number of attempts.
While serving as a probationary assistant collector at the Pune district collectorate, Khedkar allegedly abused her position by demanding perks and privileges she was not entitled to.
Additionally, she is accused of improperly availing herself of the OBC and non-creamy layer quotas in the UPSC examination.
