Delhi High Court Extends Interim Protection From Arrest To Puja Khedkar In UPSC Fake Certificate Row

The Delhi High Court on Thursday extended the interim protection from arrest to former IAS trainee officer, Puja Khedkar, in connection with allegedly misusing her powers to crack the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

The protection from arrest was extended until September 5.

Earlier, during a hearing on Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea, Justice Subramonium Prasad of the Delhi High Court had deferred the hearing to August 29, 2024, as the Delhi Police had not filed its response in the case.

Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Khedkar, also requested additional time to review the UPSC’s response, which opposes the anticipatory bail plea.

On the last date of the hearing, the Delhi High Court had issued notices to the Delhi Police and UPSC regarding the anticipatory bail plea of Khedkar.

The Delhi High Court earlier observed that the trial court’s order denying bail for Puja Khedkar lacks substantial discussion, with only a brief mention of the public prosecutor’s claim about the involvement of others.

The High Court had instructed the police not to arrest Khedkar as the proceedings were pending.

On Wednesday, Khedkar denied charges of forgery and challenged her disqualification, saying the UPSC cannot disqualify her.

Opposing the submissions of the UPSC, she filed a rejoinder before the Delhi High Court.

In her response before the High Court, Khedkar claimed that she did not fabricate her documents.

THE CASE AGAINST PUJA KHEDKAR

Khedkar is accused of falsifying and misrepresenting facts in her application to the UPSC.

UPSC had argued that Puja Khedkar is a “mastermind” and that her actions would not have been possible without the assistance of others. This argument supports their position that custodial interrogation is necessary.

On July 31, the UPSC had cancelled Khedkar’s provisional candidature and barred her from appearing in any future examinations or selections. Additionally, the commission initiated a criminal case against Khedkar for cheating, fraudulence and forgery.

Puja Khedkar’s plea in the Delhi High Court follows the dismissal of her plea by Delhi’s Patiala House Court, which found the allegations against her–related to falsifying identity for extra attempts in the civil services examination–to be serious and in need of thorough investigation.