Former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, Puja Khedkar, accused of fraudulently obtaining reservation benefits under the OBC and disability quotas in the civil services examination, issued a Supreme Court challenge to the Delhi High court’s order dismissing his pre-arrest bail plea.
Khedkar, in his petition before the high court, termed the Supreme Court’s order as a ‘mistake’, saying that the case against him is related to the charges based on the documents and application forms in the possession of the prosecution.
Therefore, no further cross-examination is required, the plea said. A high court bench, comprising Justice BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma, is expected to hear his plea on Wednesday, January 15.
A former IAS trainee challenge the order of the Delhi High Court dated 23 December 2024which denied his bail request. The Supreme Court observed that there was a strong case against him, which required a thorough investigation to uncover a “larger conspiracy” aimed at deceiving the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). It mentioned that granting bail before arrest will hinder the investigation.
“The anticipatory bail application is dismissed. The temporary protection from arrest is no more,” the high court ruled. It also described the case as the worst case of fraud perpetrated on a constitutional body and society, stressing the importance of maintaining the integrity of the UPSC examination.
I UPSC has withdrawn Khedkar’s selection as junior government officer and even barred him from appearing in future civil service examinations. Two months later, the Union government sacked him.
Khedkar was earlier granted interim protection from arrest after the Supreme Court issued notice on his pending bail application on August 12, 2024. This protection was extended from time to time but he finally came out with the decision of the Supreme Court.
The allegations against Khedkar include false information in his application for the 2022 UPSC civil services examination to claim benefits of illegal reservation. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has filed a criminal case against him, accusing him of lying to avail the benefits of the quota. The Delhi Police has also filed an FIR against him on multiple charges.
However, the former trainee officer still has it He dismissed all the allegations against him.