Today, On 21st May, In the Puja Khedkar case, the Supreme Court questioned the seriousness of the allegations, asking, “Has she committed murder?” and granted anticipatory bail to the former IAS probationer, noting the charges didn’t warrant immediate custody.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court granted anticipatory bail to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, who is accused of cheating and unlawfully benefiting from OBC and disability quotas in the civil services examination.
A bench consisting of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma instructed Khedkar to cooperate with the investigation.
The bench observed orally,
“What is the grave crime she has committed? She is not a drug lord or a terrorist. She has not committed 302 (murder). She is not an NDPS offender. You should have a system or a software. You complete the investigation. She has lost everything and will not get a job anywhere,”
The bench further remarked,
“Bearing in mind the facts and circumstances of the case, this is a fit case where the Delhi High Court ought to have granted bail to the petitioner.”
The counsel for the Delhi Police strongly opposed the anticipatory bail, arguing that Khedkar was not cooperating with the investigation and that the allegations against her were serious.
Previously, the Supreme Court urged the Delhi police to expedite their investigation, questioning why it was not progressing faster, especially since Khedkar had stated in an affidavit her willingness to cooperate.
Khedkar has appealed to the Supreme Court following the Delhi High Court’s rejection of her anticipatory bail request.
In January, the apex court granted her interim protection from arrest and instructed her to cooperate with the investigation.
She is accused of fraudulently claiming reservations meant for Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities to pass the UPSC exam.
Khedkar is accused of providing false information in her application for the 2022 UPSC civil services examination to obtain reservation benefits. She has denied all allegations against her.
Khedkar is faced criminal charges filed by the Delhi Police, accusing her of cheating and unlawfully claiming benefits from the OBC and disability quotas in the civil services examination.