Today, On 5th August, Former IAS trainee Puja Khedkar has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court challenging the UPSC’s decision to cancel her candidature. Khedkar is seeking judicial intervention to overturn the commission’s decision.
New Delhi: Former IAS trainee Puja Khedkar filed a petition in the Delhi High Court on Monday, contesting the Union Public Service Commission’s (UPSC) decision to annul her candidature.
The case was mentioned before a bench led by Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and is scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday.
On July 31, the UPSC rescinded Khedkar’s provisional candidature amid allegations of cheating and forgery.
The commission found that Khedkar breached examination rules and consequently barred her from all future exams and selections.
The Government stated,
“The UPSC has meticulously reviewed the records and found her guilty of violating the CSE-2022 Rules. Her provisional candidature for the CSE-2022 has been revoked, and she is permanently banned from all future UPSC Examinations/Selections,”
A Show Cause Notice (SCN) issued to Khedkar, who was a provisionally recommended candidate for the Civil Services Examination-2022 (CSE-2022), on July 18. The notice accused her of fraudulently exceeding the permissible attempt limit by falsifying her identity.
She instructed to submit her response to the SCN by July 25. However, she requested an extension until August 4 to gather the necessary documents for her response but was granted an extension only until July 30, a deadline she missed.
The commission stated that it had reviewed 15 years of CSE data, encompassing over 15,000 recommended candidates from 2009 to 2023, and found no other irregularities.
Khedkar been embroiled in controversy after her transfer from Pune to Washim earlier this month, following allegations of power abuse. Social media posts questioning her qualifications brought additional scrutiny, revealing that she allegedly obtained a fake disability certificate.
While in Pune, she reportedly misused her position by demanding perks and facilities to which she was not entitled. Additionally, she is accused of exploiting the OBC and non-creamy layer quota in the UPSC examinations.
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Following the allegations against her, Puja Khedkar‘s probation period was suspended, and she was recalled to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Mussoorie, Uttarakhand.
A case has been registered against Khedkar under various sections of the IPC, including 420 (cheating), 464 (making a document in the name of a fictitious person), 465 (forgery), and 471 (using a forged document as genuine).
She is also charged under sections 89 and 91 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, and section 66D of the Information Technology Act, following a complaint filed by the UPSC.