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Khedkar, who began her probationary training at the Pune Collectorate in June, was accused of exploiting quotas to pass the Civil Services Examination (CSE). The UPSC filed an FIR against her and issued a show-cause notice for the cancellation of her selection. She was alleged to have fraudulently exceeded the allowed attempts by falsifying her identity, including altering her name and personal details.
The Delhi High Court, on Wednesday, extended the interim relief granted to IAS trainee Puja Khedkar until August 29, 2024. Khedkar was accused of falsifying and misrepresenting facts in her application to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The court, in its previous order, granted interim relief to Puja while directing the Delhi Police and the UPSC to file their responses.
However, the bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad deferred the hearing on Khedkar's anticipatory bail plea to August 29, 2024, due to the absence of a response from the Delhi Police. Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Khedkar, also requested additional time to review the UPSC's response, which opposed her plea for anticipatory bail.
The high court noted that the trial court's order, denying bail, lacked a substantial discussion, merely referencing the Public Prosecutor's assertion about the involvement of others. As a result, the high court ordered the police not to arrest Khedkar until Friday, pending further proceedings.
Senior Advocate Naresh Kaushik, representing the UPSC, argued that Khedkar was the mastermind behind the alleged conspiracy, claiming that her actions were impossible without assistance from others. He advocated for custodial interrogation, emphasizing its necessity to uncover the full extent of the scam.
Khedkar had approached the Delhi High Court after her request for bail was rejected by the trial court, which considered the allegations, related to falsifying identity to gain extra attempts in the civil services examination, serious and deserving of a thorough investigation. The trial court judge, in denying Khedkar's anticipatory bail, stated that custodial interrogation was necessary to reveal the full extent of the conspiracy and to identify the involvement of other individuals.
On July 31, the UPSC permanently disqualified Khedkar from all future exams and selections, citing her violation of the Civil Services Examination-2022 Rules.
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