The Delhi High Court on Monday denied the anticipatory bail plea of former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) trainee officer Puja Khedkar, who stands accused of fraudulently clearing the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination.

Justice Chandra Dhari Singh observed that a prima facie case had been established against Khedkar for allegedly deceiving UPSC by falsely claiming benefits under quotas for Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Persons with Disabilities (PwD), despite being ineligible.

The court noted that evidence indicated she was unqualified for such benefits and had forged documents in collaboration with unidentified individuals.

"In instant case, prima facie it is established that conduct of the petitioner has been truly driven with the motive to dupe the complainant UPSC and all the documents arranged by her were done in order to reap benefits of schemes meant for disadvantaged groups in the society," the Court said.

The Court also took note of her financial and social background, suggesting a strong likelihood that her family members may have been complicit in the fraudulent activities.

"Apart from owning luxury cars and various properties, the family of the petitioner, that is father and mother, have held high positions, therefore there is high possibility that family members have colluded with unknown powerful persons in order to get the requisite certificates produced by the petitioner," the Court said.

Therefore, the Bench ruled that her custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover the details of the fraud.

"This Court is of the opinion that steps taken by the petitioner were part of large conspiracy to manipulate the system and investigation in this regard would be impacted if she is granted anticipatory bail. UPSC exam is considered one of the prestigious examinations in the world and a large number of people appear for the said exam, do hard labour to secure a seat in the coveted all india services. It is a known fact that lakhs of students appear in the exam and put in a number of years in order to succeed. The fraudulent practice adopted by petitioner raises questions on authenticity of exam conducting agency," the Court said while rejecting her plea for anticipatory bail.

An interim order granting Khedkar protection from arrest was issued on August 12 this year, with instructions for her to cooperate in the investigation. This protection from arrest remained in place until today's order.

Khedkar is accused of fraudulently exploiting reservation benefits meant for Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities to clear the UPSC exam.

Following the allegations, the UPSC annulled Khedkar's selection and permanently barred her from future exams and selections, deeming her "guilty of violating CSE-2022 Rules."

Subsequently, the Delhi Police registered a case against Khedkar based on a complaint filed by the UPSC. She later approached the High Court seeking anticipatory bail.

On August 12, the High Court had granted her interim protection from arrest. However, with today's order, this protection has been vacated.