Today, On 8th August, Puja Khedkar approached the Delhi High Court to request anticipatory bail in connection with a cheating case. She seeks protection from arrest while the investigation is ongoing. The case involves allegations of fraudulent activities, prompting her to seek legal intervention.
New Delhi: Former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, On Thursday, accused of cheating and fraudulently securing OBC and disability quota benefits, approached the Delhi High Court seeking anticipatory bail in her criminal case.
Her pre-arrest bail plea is set to be heard by Justice Subramonium Prasad on Friday.
Khedkar is accused of misrepresenting information in her application for the 2022 UPSC Civil Services Examination to obtain reservation benefits. As a result, the Union Public Service Commission cancelled her candidature on July 31 and barred her from future examinations.
On August 1, a sessions court denied anticipatory bail to Puja Khedkar, citing serious allegations that “require a thorough investigation.”
Although Khedkar has not been arrested, she approached the sessions court claiming an “immediate threat of arrest.”
The court stated,
“Custodial interrogation of the accused is required to unearth the whole conspiracy and to establish involvement of the other persons involved in conspiracy, further noting that the case is only the tip of the iceberg.”
The judge instructed the Delhi Police to conduct a fair investigation to identify candidates who might have similarly benefited and to determine if any UPSC insiders assisted Khedkar.
Responding to Khedkar’s claims of false implication and being targeted by a media trial, the court found the argument untenable due to sufficient incriminating evidence.
The judge remarked,
“The conspiracy has been hatched in a pre-planned manner. The conspiracy was executed by the accused over many years. The accused alone could not have executed the conspiracy without the assistance of some outsider or insider.”
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.
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.