https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Supreme Court Extends Protection from Arrest for Former IAS Probationer Puja Khedkar

The extension was granted after the Delhi Police sought more time to respond to her anticipatory bail plea
Indian Masterminds Stories

The Supreme Court on Friday extended its interim order granting protection from arrest to former probationary Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar, who is accused of fraudulently availing additional attempts in the civil services examination. The extension was granted after the Delhi Police sought more time to respond to her anticipatory bail plea.

Also Read: Karnataka: Three IAS Officers Get Concurrent Charges, One Transferred to New Assignment

A bench comprising Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice S.C. Sharma directed Ms. Khedkar to cooperate with the investigation and scheduled the next hearing for March 18.

Mr. S.V. Raju, Additional Solicitor General appearing for the Delhi Police, informed the court that they required more time to file their response. He emphasized the seriousness of the allegations and cautioned that Ms. Khedkar should not misuse the court’s order to claim anticipatory bail on the grounds of cooperation.

On January 15, the court had ordered that no coercive steps be taken against Ms. Khedkar, but this protection ended on Friday. Mr. Siddharth Luthra, Senior Advocate representing Ms. Khedkar, sought an extension of the previous order, arguing that the police had not yet called her for questioning, despite her willingness to cooperate.

Ms. Khedkar is accused of withholding information from the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which subsequently canceled her candidature on July 31, 2023. The Delhi High Court, in December 2024, denied her pre-arrest bail, citing a larger conspiracy behind her alleged attempt to deceive UPSC. In response, Ms. Khedkar contended that she was an unmarried woman whose career was at stake after losing her job.

The High Court described her case as a “classic example” of fraud against a constitutional body and society, emphasizing that her custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover the larger conspiracy and identify all those involved. The court also raised concerns about “unknown powerful persons” potentially helping her obtain fraudulent certificates.

In her petition, Ms. Khedkar argued that the charges of cheating and fraud were based on documentary evidence already in police possession, making custodial interrogation unnecessary. She claimed to have a benchmark disability, verified upon her entry into the All India Services, and asserted that she had no criminal record.

Investigations indicate that Ms. Khedkar had already exhausted all nine permissible attempts available to Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) and Other Backward Class (OBC) candidates by the 2020 civil services exam. However, she allegedly changed her name in 2021 and took the exams in 2021, 2022, and 2023, misrepresenting the number of attempts she had availed.

Earlier, a local court had also denied her anticipatory bail.

Also Read: Former IAS Trainee Puja Khedkar Moves Supreme Court Against Denial of Anticipatory Bail


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Uttar Pradesh Police (UP)_resized
UP Govt Transfers 16 IPS Officers; 10 District SPs Reassigned, Jaiprakash Singh Posted as Unnao SP
MP CM MOhan Yadav Swachchta Initiative
MP CM Dr Mohan Yadav Inaugurates ‘Swachhotsav’ in Indore, Launches E-Waste Collection Drive
Indigenous Underwater Robots
Indian Navy Signs ₹66 Crore Deal with Odisha-Based Startup for Indigenous Underwater Robots
Sumedha-Kataria
Haryana Govt Appoints IAS Sumedha Kataria as Woman Member of State Police Complaints Authority Amid Legal Controversy
Punjab-Haryana-High-Court-resized
HC Rejects Sports Quota DSPs’ Plea for Backdated Seniority in Haryana Police
sfgdgfg
Who Is IFS Officer Deepak Miglani? Appointed as India’s Next Ambassador to South Sudan - Career, Bio, and More
Bipul-Pathak-IAS-JK
IAS Bipul Pathak Appointed Principal Secretary (Home) of Delhi in Strategic Bureaucratic Reshuffle
bihar-cm-solar
Bihar Moves Towards Energy Self-Sufficiency: Solar Power Emerges as a Game-Changer Under Nitish Kumar
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr. S.K
Technology Meets Ecology: IFS Dr S K Srivastava’s Game-Changing Innovations in Forest Management | Eco Warrior Awards 2025 Interview
IFS Uttam Kumar Sharma Interview
From Extinction to Exhilaration: The Untold Story and Future Vision of Project Cheetah | Led by IFS Uttam Kumar Sharma | Eco Warrior Awards 2025
K M Abharna IFS Eco Warrior Awards 2025
Meet K. M. Abharna, the IFS Officer Behind Avni’s Case and Vidya Balan’s Sherni Role
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Ishwarlal Gurjar UPSC
10th Grade Failure to Indian Police Service: Ishwarlal Gurjar’s UPSC Success Path
Read the inspiring journey of Ishwarlal Gurjar from a small village in Rajasthan to becoming an IPS officer....
IAS Minnu P M
“Lazy, Sleepy, Yet Determined”: Minnu P M’s Honest Take on Cracking UPSC
Minnu PM, once a clerk in Kerala Police, cleared UPSC with AIR 150 after five years of struggle. Her...
IPS Ashish Tiwari
From IIT and Investment Banking to Public Service, Meet IPS Ashish Tiwari 
Ashish Tiwari, IIT graduate and former investment banker, chose public service over global finance. As...
Social Media
Parag Madhukar Dhakate
Relentless Rains Wreak Havoc in Dehradun: IFS officer PM Dhakate Warns Citizens Amid Flash Floods
Cloudbursts in Dehradun triggered flash floods. IFS officer Dr. PM Dhakate warned citizens to stay indoors...
Forest Guard Tiger Encounter
Tigers Clash in the Wild as Forest Guards Capture Rare Footage , Retired IFS Mohan Pargaien Posts Viral Video
Retired IFS officer Mohan Pargaien shares viral video of three tigers brawling in Ramnagar, as forest...
Tamil Nadu Gaur Rescue
Tiruchirappalli Forest Officials Risk Lives to Rescue Juvenile Gaur; Video Shared by IAS Officer Goes Viral
Trichy forest and fire teams risk lives to rescue a juvenile Indian gaur; IAS officer Supriya Sahu shares...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Uttar Pradesh Police (UP)_resized
UP Govt Transfers 16 IPS Officers; 10 District SPs Reassigned, Jaiprakash Singh Posted as Unnao SP
MP CM MOhan Yadav Swachchta Initiative
MP CM Dr Mohan Yadav Inaugurates ‘Swachhotsav’ in Indore, Launches E-Waste Collection Drive
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Dr. S.K
IFS Uttam Kumar Sharma Interview
K M Abharna IFS Eco Warrior Awards 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT