The Delhi High Court on Monday granted interim protection from arrest to former IAS trainee Puja Khedkar, whose candidacy was recently cancelled by the UPSC over allegations of cheating and wrongly benefiting from OBC and disability quotas.
Justice Subramonium Prasad, who presided over the bench, extended interim relief to Khedkar until August 21 and issued notices to both the Delhi Police and the UPSC regarding her anticipatory bail plea, asking them to file their responses.
“In the facts of the present case, the court is of the opinion that the petitioner be not arrested till the next date of hearing,” Justice Prasad remarked during the proceedings.
The court listed the case for further hearing on August 21.
The sacked IAS trainee officer was represented by senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, while Naresh Kaushik represented the UPSC.
Puja Khedkar a ‘mastermind’: UPSC
During the hearing, the Union Public Service Commission accused Khedkar, who is alleged to have fraudulently cleared her civil services exam, of being the “mastermind” behind the alleged irregularities.
“She is a mastermind, without the help of others it’s not possible,” the UPSC stated.
Khedkar, a 2023-batch IAS officer, is under scrutiny for alleged irregularities in her civil service selection. She is accused of manipulating her identity to appear for the civil services examination multiple times, exceeding the permissible number of attempts.
During her tenure as a probationary assistant collector at the Pune district collectorate, Khedkar was alleged to have misused her power and privileges by demanding perks and facilities to which she was not entitled.
Additionally, she is accused of improperly availing herself of the OBC and non-creamy layer quotas in the UPSC examination.
(With inputs from PTI)
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