Delhi Court denies anticipatory bail to IAS trainee Puja Khedkar

In a  legal setback for Puja Khedkar, the Delhi Patiala House court on Thursday rejected her anticipatory bail plea. Khedkar, a trainee IAS officer, faces allegations of using fraudulent methods to secure her place in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination.

The court's decision came as the Delhi Police, the investigating agency, was instructed to broaden its inquiry. The court emphasized the need to investigate potential insider involvement within the UPSC that may have facilitated Khedkar's alleged fraudulent activities.

Earlier this week, the UPSC acted decisively by cancelling Khedkar's provisional candidature and permanently barring her from participating in any future UPSC examinations. This decision followed a thorough review of examination records which revealed Khedkar's manipulation of identity and attempt limits, contrary to the CSE-2022 Rules.

The UPSC's statement clarified that out of over 15,000 candidates reviewed from 2009 to 2023, Khedkar was the only individual found to have exceeded the permitted number of attempts. Her case exposed gaps in the UPSC's Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), which failed to detect her altered identity, prompting the Commission to enhance its procedures to prevent similar cases in the future.

Khedkar, who previously secured an all-India rank of 821, was relieved from her District Training Programme in Maharashtra two weeks prior to these developments. The FIR against her was filed following the UPSC’s complaint to the Delhi Police.