A Delhi court on Thursday denied anticipatory bail to former IAS trainee officer Puja Khedkar who has been accused of “misrepresenting and falsifying facts” in her Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination 2022 application.
The denial of anticipatory bail comes with a day after the UPSC, which conducts the civil services examination, cancelled her provisional candidature of Khedkar and
permanently debarred her from all the future exams/selections.
As per UPSC, Khedkar was found “guilty of acting in contravention of the provisions of the Civil Services Examination-2022 Rules”.
‘Investigate if anyone within UPSC helped Puja Khedkar’
Denying the anticipatory bail plea of Khedkar, Patiala House Court Judge Devender Kumar Jangala asked the Delhi Police to find out whether an insider from the complainant (UPSC) helped the applicant (Puja Khedkar).
The court also asked to widened the probe in the case and ordered the Delhi Police to investigate if other persons have availed benefits of quotas under OBC and PwD without entitlement.
“The investigation agency needs to widen the scope of the investigation. The agency is directed to find out the candidates recommended [by the UPSC] in recent past who have availed benefits beyond permissible age limit under OBC quota and those who availed Persons with Benchmark Disabilities benefits despite not being entitled to it,” the Court ordered.
Advocate Bina Madhavan represented Khedkar. SPP Atul Srivastava appeared for the State and the UPSC was represented by Senior Advocate Naresh Kaushik.
During the hearing, Madhavan had prayed for anticipatory bail and stay on the arrest citing imminent threat of arrest due to criminal prosecution.
Madhavan alleged that as soon as the UPSC lodged the FIR, media has been going around and doing witch hunt against Khedkar.
She contended that Khedkar, “in good faith”, mentioned the number of attempts as five in place of 12 and thus, there can be no misrepresentation.”
Madhavan also claimed that Khedkar’s disability certificate showed her to be a candidate with 47 per cent of benchmark disabilities which was issued by a medical board of AIIMS.
Khedkar’s lawyer further alleged that the criminal prosecution against her client has been initiated because she lodged a complaint of sexual harassment against a Collector who called her in his office to which she refused.
Appearing for the Delhi Police, SPP Atul Srivastava said that the offence of cheating cannot take place unless someone is duped and that in this case, UPSC has been duped by Khedkar.
The prosecutor further said that the investigation is at a nascent stage and several documents, including Khedkar’s medical documents, have to be probed.
Meanwhile, Senior Advocate Naresh Kaushik, counsel for the UPSC, told the court that during admission Khedkar did not disclose about her earlier attempts which was an admission of guilt.
Kaushik further told the court that integrity of examination system has been breached by Khedkar in complete defiance of the UPSC Rules.
In June this year, Khedkar joined the Pune Collectorate as part of her probationary training. Troubles began for her soon after Pune Collector Suhas Diwase wrote to Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, pointing out the demand for perks including car, staff and an office she was not entitled to during her two-year probation, made by Khedkar, who was just a trainee IAS officer.
Soon after, Khedkar was transferred to Washim.
Problems grew after her selection for IAS came under the spotlight and it was found that she had availed relaxed criteria for OBC candidates and persons with disabilities.
It also came to fore that her father, Dilip Khedkar, a former officer in Maharashtra government, had property to the tune of 40 crores and she did not qualify for the OBC non-creamy layer tag.
It also emerged that Khedkar had not appeared for a mandatory health check-up at a government facility to confirm her exemption for disability.
With inputs from agencies
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Double whammy for Puja Khedkar: After UPSC’s action, anticipatory bail plea gets rejected
