Former trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar denied anticipatory bail
A preliminary case was made out that she had allegedly duped the Union Public Service Commission, said the Delhi High Court.
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The Delhi High Court on Monday denied anticipatory bail to former Indian Administrative Service probationer Puja Khedkar who is accused of fraudulently clearing the Union Public Service Commission examination, Bar and Bench reported.
Justice Chandra Dhari Singh said that a preliminary case had been made out about Puja Khedkar having allegedly duped the commission by availing quota benefits meant for the Other Backward Classes and persons with disabilities although she was not eligible for them.
The bench also noted that Puja Khedkar’s financial and social background indicates that her family may have possibly colluded with her, Bar and Bench reported. Therefore, her custodial interrogation would be necessary to unearth the fraud, the court ruled.
The High Court had granted interim protection from arrest to Puja Khedkar in August with directions to cooperate in the investigation. The protection ended with the court's fresh order on Monday.
The Union government had discharged Puja Khedkar from the Indian Administrative Service on September 6.
This came five weeks after the Union Public Service Commission revoked Puja Khedkar’s selection as a trainee officer and permanently banned her from all the examinations it conducts. She had been serving as an assistant collector in Pune.
The controversy around Puja Khedkar’s selection erupted after Pune-based Right to Information activist Vijay Kumbhar alleged that she had become a civil services officer by...
