Delhi High Court has denied anticipatory bail for ex-IAS officer Puja Khedkar. The matter was heard on Monday by a bench of Justice Chandra Dhari Singh.
"Anticipatory bail plea is dismissed. Interim protection from arrest is vacated," said Justice Chandra Dhari Singh while ruling on the plea.
Noting that UPSC is one of the most prestigious examinations in the world, the High Court further said that this was "a classic case where fraud is committed by Khedkar not only with the constitutional body but also society at large," reported Live Law.
Khedkar has been accused of misrepresenting information in her application for the UPSC civil services exam in 2022. As per the complaint filed, the former IAS officer has been accused of allegedly cheating in the exam and wrongly availing of OBC and disability quota benefits in the competitive exam.
Despite the allegations against her, Khedkar has denied all wrongdoing.
In June 2024, IAS officer Puja Khedkar joined the Pune Collectorate as part of her probationary training. However, a controversy erupted after reports of abuse of power and faking disability came to light.
After this, she was transferred to Washim as a supernumerary assistant collector and later in July 2024, UPSC lodged a criminal case against Khedkar for faking her identity to reattempt the CSE exam.
The central board also canceled her candidature and barred Khedkar from taking the entrance exam for life.
