THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, April 15: The Supreme Court on Tuesday extended interim protection from arrest to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar until April 21 in a case involving allegations of cheating by misusing OBC and disability quotas to clear the civil services examination.
The extension came as her legal team requested more time, noting that her rejoinder to the Delhi government’s reply had been submitted but was not yet on record.
A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma directed the Supreme Court registry to verify whether the rejoinder had been formally filed and listed the matter for further hearing on April 21. The bench also agreed to continue the protection from arrest originally granted to Khedkar on January 15.
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Earlier, SC questioned dual UPSC claims; Delhi police sought custodial probe
Earlier, during a March 18 hearing, the court orally observed that a candidate cannot attempt the civil services examination both as an able-bodied individual and under the disabled category, effectively challenging the legitimacy of Khedkar’s dual claims.
Representing the Delhi Police, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju had argued that custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover the network behind the alleged issuance of fake disability certificates used by aspirants to gain undue advantage in the UPSC exams.
Khedkar’s counsel, advocate Bina Madhavan, told the court that her client had expressed willingness to cooperate with the investigation and had already communicated this to the relevant probe agency.
Khedkar forged documents to avail disability and quota benefits
The case has drawn significant attention due to the serious nature of the charges, which include allegations of systemic manipulation involving forged documents and impersonation in the civil services selection process.
Khedkar has been charged by the Delhi Police with fraudulently securing OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination.
Khedkar is alleged to have misrepresented facts in her application for the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2022 to claim reservation benefits.
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Khedkar, who was appointed as an IAS officer in the 2023 Maharashtra cadre, is alleged to have forged documents, such as a Physical Disability Certificate and a Non-Creamy Layer Certificate, to secure OBC reservation in the competitive exam. She is also accused of falsifying her identity to take the UPSC exam beyond the allowed number of attempts.
On July 31, the UPSC revoked Khedkar’s candidature and prohibited her from future examinations. The UPSC stated that it thoroughly reviewed the available records and determined that she was guilty of violating the rules of the CSE-2022.
