On Monday, the Delhi High Court granted interim protection from arrest to Puja Khedkar, a former trainee Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer accused of fraudulently clearing the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination.
Justice Subramonium Prasad provided this interim relief to Khedkar until August 21, while also issuing notices to the Delhi Police and UPSC regarding her anticipatory bail petition.
The court observed that the trial court, in denying Khedkar’s bail plea, seemed overly influenced by the allegations against her and did not adequately address the bail request.
"The judgement of the trial court goes on the offence committed and holds that the offence has been committed but there is hardly any discussion as to why bail sought cannot be granted. Though I am not sitting in appeal, but except from one paragraph about the PP [public prosecutor] submission that there are others involved and conspiracy is to be unearthed, there is no other discussion on bail," Justice Prasad remarked.
On August 1, a Delhi court denied bail to the former trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar and directed the Delhi Police to investigate whether others might have fraudulently availed benefits under the OBC and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) quotas.
Khedkar is accused of improperly using reservations meant for Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities to clear the UPSC examination.
Earlier this month, the UPSC canceled Khedkar's selection and permanently barred her from all future exams and selections after finding her "guilty of violating CSE-2022 Rules."
The Delhi Police registered the case against Khedkar following a complaint filed by the UPSC.
According to an investigation done by the UPSC, Khedkar had also "fraudulently availed attempts beyond the permissible limit under the Examination Rules by faking her identity by way of changing her name, her father's & mother's name, her photograph/ signature, her email ID, mobile number and address."
Website designed, developed and maintained by webexy