Puja Khedkar refuted fraud charges brought against her by the UPSC, asserting that the commission has no authority to disqualify her. In her response to the Delhi High Court, Khedkar argued that once she was selected and appointed as a probationer, the UPSC no longer holds the power to revoke her candidature.
Puja Khedkar, a former IAS trainee officer dismissed for allegedly abusing her authority, has contested her disqualification, asserting that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) lacks the power to act against her.
In her response to the Delhi High Court regarding the UPSC’s allegations, Puja Khedkar argued that once she was selected and appointed as a probationer, the UPSC no longer had the authority to disqualify her.
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Khedkar mentioned,
“DoPT (Department of Personnel and Training) alone can take action under the All India services Act, 1954 and the Probationer Rules as per Rule 19 of the CSE 2022 Rules,”
On July 31, the UPSC revoked Khedkar’s provisional candidature and prohibited her from participating in any future exams or selections. This decision made after Khedkar was found guilty of abusing her powers and violating the CSE (Civil Services Exam) 2022 rules, including allegedly “faking her identity.”
The UPSC also filed a criminal case against Khedkar, accusing her of cheating, fraud, and forgery.
In response, Khedkar filed a petition with the Delhi High Court, challenging the UPSC’s decision to cancel her provisional candidature.
In her court submission, Khedkar denied manipulating or misrepresenting her identity to the UPSC.
Khedkar stated in her response,
“There has been no change in the applicant’s first name or surname from 2012 to 2022, as consistently reflected in all DAFs,”
She further argued,
“The UPSC verified her identity through biometric data (including fingerprints) collected during the personality tests in 2019, 2021, and 2022, and all documents were verified by the Commission during the personality test on 26.05.2022.”
Until 2020-21, Puja Khedkar appeared for the examination under the OBC quota using the name ‘Puja Diliprao Khedkar.’ However, in 2021-22, after exhausting all attempts, she appeared under the OBC and PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities) quotas, this time using the name ‘Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar.’ She successfully cleared the exam with a rank of 821.
Puja Khedkar, a 2023-batch IAS officer, faces allegations of fraudulently securing extra attempts in the UPSC examination by manipulating her identity. The accusations include altering her name, her parents’ names, her photograph, signature, email ID, mobile number, and address to deceive the system. The UPSC, upon discovering these discrepancies, lodged a formal complaint with the Delhi Police, leading to the cancellation of her candidature on July 31.
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Following the allegations against her, Puja Khedkar‘s probation period 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.