Puja Khedkar Moves Supreme Court Against Delhi HC’s Denial of Anticipatory Bail

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 14th Jan. Former IAS trainee officer Puja Khedkar, who became embroiled in controversy last year over allegations of lying about disabilities, altering her surname, and forging a backward class certificate to clear the civil services exam, has approached the Supreme Court challenging a Delhi High Court order that denied her anticipatory bail.

In its December ruling, the High Court strongly criticized Khedkar’s actions, calling them a “classic example of fraud committed not only against an authority but also the nation at large.” The court stated that Khedkar’s conduct was aimed at deceiving the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) and obtaining benefits reserved for disadvantaged groups.

The bench further commented that Khedkar appeared to have engaged in a conspiracy to manipulate her civil services exam attempts, pointing out that her actions were part of a broader scheme to gain unfair advantages. It deemed her “unfit for appointment” based on her actions.

In her petition to the Supreme Court, Khedkar argued that the High Court’s decision was “erroneous” and requested a reconsideration. A bench of the Supreme Court is expected to hear the matter on Wednesday.

The UPSC had previously revealed that Khedkar attempted the civil services exam more than six times—exceeding the permitted number of attempts for a general category candidate—by changing her and her parents’ names. This made it more challenging to detect the violation.

Khedkar defended her actions in the High Court by claiming that she had a physical disability, with a Maharashtra hospital certifying her condition. She argued that only her attempts in the ‘divyang’ category should be counted, as she was recognized for her disability.

In July, the UPSC revoked her selection as a junior government officer and barred her from appearing for the civil services exam in the future. Following this, the Union government terminated her employment in September.

Khedkar, however, denied all charges against her, asserting that the allegations stemmed from a personal vendetta after she accused a senior official of sexual harassment.