The Delhi High Court has recently asked the investigation agencies why they want to take former IAS trainee officer Puja Khedkar into custody when all the allegedly forged documents were already with the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The court of Justice Subramonium Prasad however has extended Khedkar’s protection from arrest until September 26 when it’s due to hear the matter again and it has granted more time to the probe agencies investigating the matter.
When the UPSC asserted that ex-IAS Khedkar had “played with the law which is extraordinary,” Justice Prasad remarked, “Your argument is very simple… all documents are in the custody of UPSC then why do you need her custody? As far as the state is concerned, the allegation is she has given false documents, and wrong information, in which case a trial will take place whether documents are false. Why do you need her custody?“
Ms. Khedkar’s lawyer, Mr. Sidharth Luthra, argued, “UPSC is not the state. This is the problem in the matter, if UPSC is going to dictate the investigation, where are we going to go?“
It must be mentioned that the Delhi Police had suggested that there was a conspiracy in Khedkar attempting the civil services exam nine times as an OBC candidate – the maximum permissible limit for an OBC candidate – and then allegedly changing her name and declaring in 2022 that she only had three attempts. The police claimed that her custody was required to probe the conspiracy aspect.
Commenting on this, Justice Prasad observed, “For that, it will be father, mother, daughter and the daughter has given false certificates, your investigation and chargesheet will be she has given false documents, fudged medical reports. The question again is, what purpose will be served by her custody? The only reason for her custody is if she is to tamper with evidence or is a flight risk.“
As of now, the police have submitted two status reports of their investigation, with the latest report indicating that one of the disability certificates Khedkar had furnished was forged. She had furnished the same for additional attempts as a PwBD (Person with Benchmark Disability) category candidate.
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.
