The Delhi High Court has recently decided to extend the interim protection granted to the former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, from police arrest, until October 4th. Ms. Khedkar created quite the whizz in the bureaucracy circles by allegedly cheating, and misuse of OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination.
Justice Chandra Dhari Singh, hearing the case, deferred proceedings on her plea seeking anticipatory bail. The Delhi Police’s counsel urged the court to allow a short adjournment, pontificating at a potential “larger conspiracy”, which involved forgery and creation of documents.
Ms. Khedkar’s legal counsel sought more time from the court to file a response to the UPSC’s allegation that she committed perjury by making a false statement in relation to her anticipatory bail plea. Ms. Khedkar initially claimed that her “debarment” was the aftermath of a sexual harassment complaint by her against an officer, and objected to the amount of media attention the case was attracting.
While the Delhi Police lawyer maintained that the investigating agency is “never under media pressure”, UPSC’s senior counsel went a step ahead by stating that Ms. Khekdar “became a celebrity because of her own doings.”
It is imperative to mention that both the UPSC and the Delhi Police demanded the dismissal of her plea anticipatory bail. Puja Khedkar got interim protection from arrest on August 12th, which has been extended a few times till then. The Delhi Police has claimed that any relief to Khedkar would hinder its probe into the “deep-rooted conspiracy” and that the case has wider implications on public trust as well as the integrity of the civil services examination.
The UPSC, who accused Khedkar of duping it as well as the public, said her custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth the “magnitude of the fraud” that could not have been done without the help of other individuals. As per the official government order dated September 6, Khedkar was discharged from the IAS with immediate effect under Rule 12 of IAS (Probation) Rules, 1954.
Ms. Puja Khedkar, a 2022 batch ex-IAS officer under training, became a subject of intense discourse over the internet and national television after allegations arose that she had lied about her mental and visual condition, through “fraudulently” obtained certificates from the District Civil Hospital in Ahmednagar, to secure an officer’s post despite an unremarkable score in the ultra-competitive qualifying exam. Khedkar was “diagnosed” with Locomotor Disability and a 7% permanent disability concerning her left lower limb. She also obtained a second certificate, which covered both low vision and mental illness (depression).
The conundrum was fueled when it was learned that Khedkar, while going through the selection process for an IAS post, had refused to undergo a mandatory medical test to confirm her disabilities six times in a row! It is pertinent to mention that she secured an All India Rank of 821 under the Physical Disability (PWD-5) category in the 2022 UPSC exams.
The entire fiasco unfurled after she made demands for a separate cabin and staff during her Pune posting. She demanded a red-blue beacon light, a VIP number plate, along with a ‘Maharashtra government’ board affixed to her private Audi car and other shenanigans while being posted as the Super Numerary Assistant Collector in Pune.
