Supreme Court Extends Protection for Puja Khedkar Amid UPSC Cheating Allegations
Supreme Court's Decision on Puja Khedkar's Case
New Delhi: On Tuesday, the Supreme Court prolonged the protection from arrest for Puja Khedkar, a former IAS probationer, until April 21. She faces accusations of cheating and improperly utilizing OBC and disability quota benefits during the civil services examination.
A bench led by Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma acknowledged the arguments presented by Khedkar's attorney, noting that her response to the Delhi government's reply had been submitted but not recorded.
The court scheduled the next hearing for April 21 and instructed the registry to confirm the filing of Khedkar's response.
In the meantime, the bench granted her counsel's request to extend the arrest protection initially provided on January 15 until the upcoming hearing.
During a previous session on March 18, the Supreme Court indicated to Khedkar that she could not take separate attempts to pass the examination as both an 'able candidate' and a 'disabled candidate.'
The Additional Solicitor General S V Raju, representing the Delhi government, stated that custodial interrogation of Khedkar was necessary to identify the middlemen involved in the alleged scam concerning fake disability certificates for UPSC candidates.
Khedkar's lawyer, Bina Madhavan, mentioned that they had communicated with the investigative agency regarding her willingness to assist in the inquiry.
On January 15, the Supreme Court granted Khedkar protection from arrest while seeking responses from the Delhi government and the UPSC regarding her anticipatory bail request.
Her legal team previously contended that the Delhi High Court had made severe remarks against Khedkar when it rejected her anticipatory bail application.
Khedkar is accused of providing false information in her application for the 2022 UPSC civil services examination to gain reservation benefits.
She has denied all allegations against her.
The high court, while dismissing her anticipatory bail plea, identified a strong prima facie case against Khedkar and emphasized the need for an investigation to uncover a 'larger conspiracy' to manipulate the system, asserting that granting her reprieve could hinder the investigation.
Khedkar received interim protection from arrest when the high court issued a notice regarding her anticipatory bail plea on August 12, 2024, which has been extended multiple times.
The UPSC has taken various actions against Khedkar, including filing a criminal case for allegedly misrepresenting her identity to gain attempts in the civil services examination, while the Delhi Police has registered an FIR against her for several offenses.