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Khedkar also asserted that all documents presented were genuine and issued by competent authorities, further arguing that her custodial interrogation was unnecessary as the commission already possessed 11 relevant documents.
On Thursday, Indian Administrative Services (IAS) trainee Puja Khedkar argued, before the Delhi High Court, that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) lacked the authority to take any action against the candidate. IAS Trainee Khedkar further contended that only the Centre’s Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) could take action against her.
The bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad granted this extension therefore safeguarding Khedkar from arrest until September 5.
Puja Khedkar, who began her probationary training at the Pune Collectorate in June, faced allegations of misusing quotas reserved for OBC and PwBD categories to pass the UPSC Examination. She was also accused of altering her and her parents' names on official documents to increase her examination attempts, leading to the filing of an FIR and a show-cause notice for the cancellation of her selection and a ban on future exams.
Last month, the UPSC initiated actions against Khedkar, including filing a criminal case for exploiting additional attempts in the civil services exam through identity fraud. IAS Khedkar thus approached the court challenging the actions of UPSC. Consequently, the Delhi Police registered an FIR under the provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Information Technology Act, and Right of Persons with Disabilities Act.
In her four-page reply, Khedkar refuted the allegations of document forgery and fraud. She claimed that her name remained unchanged from 2012 to 2022 and that she did not misrepresent or manipulate her identity in dealings with the commission. Khedkar emphasized that her academic certificates, Aadhaar card, date of birth, and other personal information remained consistent throughout the process.
The UPSC, in its reply filed on August 20, opposed Khedkar's request for pre-arrest bail, arguing that her custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover the truth about those involved in securing her provisional selection in CSE-2022. The commission described the fraud committed by Khedkar as unprecedented, impacting not only the commission's integrity but also the public trust.
The Delhi High Court previously extended interim protection granted to Khedkar till August 21. On August 21, despite opposition from the Delhi Police and UPSC, the High Court extended Khedkar's interim protection from arrest until August 29.
Background:
The Patiala House Court had reserved its judgment on Khedkar's anticipatory bail plea, related to accusations of misrepresenting information in her UPSC Civil Services Examination application. However, on August 1, the Delhi Court dismissed her anticipatory bail application after Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala reviewed the investigating authority's report.
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