The Supreme Court (SC) extended an interim order protecting former probationary Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar from arrest yesterday, Friday, February 14, after she was accused of illegally obtaining additional tries in the Civil Services test.
The extension was granted after the Delhi Police requested time to respond to her anticipatory bail application.
A panel of justices BV Nagarathna and SC Sharma ordered Khedkar to cooperate with the probe and scheduled the hearing for March 18, Hindustan Times reports.
Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the Delhi Police, informed the court that they needed time to write their response. He said the charges against Khedkar were serious.
Raju advised Khedkar not to misuse the court ruling. He stated that she could get anticipatory bail because she had helped with the inquiry.
On January 15, the court ordered that no coercive action be taken against her. The protection ended yesterday.
Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Khedkar, sought an extension of the prior order. Luthra stated that authorities have not contacted Khedkar for questioning despite her willingness to participate in the investigation.
Khedkar is accused of withholding facts from the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which cancelled her candidature on July 31 2024.
In December, the Delhi High Court denied her pre-arrest bail request. It denied her petition, citing a bigger conspiracy behind her attempt to deceive the UPSC. Khedkar contended that she was a single woman whose career was jeopardised since she had lost her job.
