No Relief for IAS Puja Khedkar, Delhi Court Denies Anticipatory Bail in Cheating Case

Delhi’s Patiala House Court on Thursday denied anticipatory bail to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, who has been accused of cheating and wrongly availing of OBC and PwD (person with disabilities) quota benefits.

Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala stated that Delhi Police “must also investigate if anyone from inside the UPSC helped Khedkar.”

The judge also broadened the probe, directing Delhi Police to investigate if other individuals have availed of benefits under OBC and PwD quotas without entitlement.

On Wednesday (July 31), the UPSC cancelled Khedkar’s candidature and debarred her from future exams.

The judge had reserved the order on the same day after hearing arguments on the application filed by Khedkar, who claimed through her lawyer that she faced an “imminent threat of arrest.”

During the proceedings, both the prosecution and the counsel representing the UPSC opposed the application, asserting that she had “cheated the system.”

“This person has abused the law and the process of law. The chances of her abusing the law are still there. She is a resourceful person,” the counsel for the UPSC argued before the court.

Khedkar was accused of ‘misrepresenting information’ in her application for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination, 2022.

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