The Delhi High Court, today, Thursday, November 28, reserved its judgement on the anticipatory bail plea of former probationer Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar, reported LiveLaw.
Khedkar was accused of misrepresenting and falsifying facts in her Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) application for 2022.
According to LiveLaw, the court also confirmed that the interim protection from arrest granted to Khedkar in August will remain in effect until the judgement is delivered.
The UPSC and Delhi Police have opposed Puja Khedkar's anticipatory bail plea.
Khedkar stands her ground
Khedkar, who was previously denied bail by the trial court in August, argued that she will cooperate with the investigation and that her custody is unnecessary, as the evidence is documentary in nature, reported LiveLaw.
However, the Delhi Police said that her custodial interrogation was necessary to investigate the involvement of other individuals in the case.
UPSC called Khedkar a "mastermind"
The UPSC, who is the complainant in the case, has referred to Puja Khedkar as the "mastermind" and stated that her ability to enter the system highlights how influential she is.
On July 31, the UPSC cancelled Khedkar's candidature and permanently barred her from all future examinations and selections by the commission. According to the UPSC, she was found guilty of violating the provisions of the Civil Services Examination 2022 rules.
According to a public statement from the UPSC, a detailed investigation into Puja Khedkar's misconduct uncovered that she "fraudulently availed attempts beyond the permissible limit" in violation of the examination rules by "faking her identity" by changing her name.
The statement also revealed that Khedkar altered her father’s and mother’s names, as well as her photograph, signature, email address, mobile number, and residential address, reported LiveLaw.
