Today(12th Sept),The Delhi High Court issued a notice to suspended IAS trainee Puja Khedkar after the UPSC accused her of falsely claiming she had not received the order canceling her candidature. The UPSC asserted that the cancellation was communicated to Khedkar via her registered email.
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NEW DELHI: Today(12th Sept), The Delhi High Court issued a notice to suspended IAS trainee Puja Khedkar, after an application was filed by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The UPSC accused Khedkar of making incorrect claims in her petition regarding the cancellation of her candidature for the civil services examination. The UPSC highlighted that Khedkar had falsely stated in her affidavit that she had not been served the official order concerning her disqualification, but had only learned of it through a press release.
According to the UPSC, they had indeed communicated the order of cancellation to Puja Khedkar through her registered email ID.
The UPSC’s application Stated that –
“The cancellation of her candidature was communicated to her via her registered email ID.”
This statement was submitted to counter her previous claim before the Delhi High Court, wherein Khedkar asserted that the cancellation order, issued on July 31, 2024, had not been communicated to her officially.
Further, the UPSC pointed out that the same registered email address had been used by Khedkar herself just days earlier to request an extension for replying to the Show Cause Notice. As per the UPSC’s application-
“It is the same email ID through which she had requested an extension on July 25 to submit her reply to the Show Cause Notice.”
This fact, the UPSC argues, leaves no room for doubt that Khedkar had indeed been served with the official order.
The UPSC further alleged that Puja Khedkar had knowingly made a false statement in her affidavit.
“There is little doubt that Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar’s conduct amounts to ‘perjury’.” They also suggested that her false statement might have been a deliberate attempt to secure a favorable court ruling. “The intent behind the false statement seems to be an effort to obtain favorable orders based on it,” the UPSC added.
– the UPSC stated in their application.
After hearing the submissions, the bench, headed by Justice Jyoti Singh, issued a notice to Puja Khedkar and scheduled the next hearing on November 26, 2024. The bench noted the gravity of the allegations made by the UPSC and decided to consider the matter further during the next hearing.
The UPSC was represented by a legal team including Senior Advocate Naresh Kaushik, and Advocates Vardhman Kaushik, Nishant Gautam, Mayank Sharma, Anand Singh, and Vinay Kaushik.
The controversy surrounding Khedkar has been ongoing for months. On August 7, the same bench of the Delhi High Court had granted her the liberty to approach an appropriate forum to challenge the UPSC’s decision to cancel her candidature. During this hearing, the UPSC had assured the court that it would provide Khedkar with the cancellation order within two days.
ALSO READ: [Cheating Case] Former IAS Trainee Puja Khedkar Seeks Anticipatory Bail in Delhi HC
The court, however, clarified that it had not expressed any opinion on the merits of the case at that point, with Justice Jyoti Singh stating that-
“the court has not examined or expressed any opinion on the merits of the case.”
Puja Khedkar’s defense is being led by Senior Advocate Indira Jaising. During the earlier proceedings, Jaising argued that the cancellation order should be formally delivered to Khedkar, rather than communicated via press releases. Jaising specifically requested two actions:
“the formal delivery of the cancellation order and the quashing of the press release related to the cancellation.”
Khedkar had initially approached the Delhi High Court to challenge the UPSC’s decision to cancel her provisional candidature. On July 31, 2024, the UPSC issued a press statement announcing that it had decided to cancel Khedkar’s candidature on grounds of alleged cheating and forgery.
The controversy surrounding Puja Khedkar stems from serious allegations of misconduct during the civil services examination process. The UPSC accused her of cheating and forgery, citing rule violations.
According to the UPSC-
“The UPSC found Puja Khedkar violating rules and debarred her from all future exams and selections.”
Despite the accusations, the UPSC maintained that they had given her ample time to respond to the Show Cause Notice. In fact, the commission stated that –
“They had carefully considered Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar’s request and, in the interest of justice, granted her until 3:30 pm on July 30, 2024, to submit her response to the Show Cause Notice.”
In addition to the ongoing matter in the Delhi High Court regarding her candidature, Khedkar has also found herself entangled in a criminal case. She has filed an anticipatory bail application in connection with a First Information Report (FIR) registered against her by the Delhi Police. This FIR was filed based on a complaint by the UPSC, accusing Khedkar of “faking her identity to fraudulently avail attempts beyond the permissible limit” during the civil services examination.
