Ex-IAS probationer Puja Khedkar gets Supreme Court relief, no arrest till Feb 14

Facing imminent arrest for alleged cheating and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination, former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar on Wednesday got a major relief from the Supreme Court, which protected her from arrest till February 14.

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Asking the Delhi Government and Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to respond to Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea by February 14, a bench of Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice SC Sharma said, “Till the next date of hearing, no coercive steps to be taken against petitioner.”

The order came after senior advocate Siddharth Luthra submitted on behalf of Khedkar that while rejecting her anticipatory bail plea, the Delhi High Court strongly indicted her, raising apprehension of arrest.

Khedkar has challenged the Delhi High Court’s December 23 judgment rejecting her anticipatory bail plea and vacating the interim protection granted to her in the case.

She is accused of cheating and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota benefits to make it to the IAS. She joined the Pune Collectorate in June this year as a probationer and on July 31, UPSC cancelled her candidature and debarred her permanently from all the future examinations after she was found guilty of “acting in contravention of the Civil Services Examination-2022 Rules”.

“The present incident is a classic example of fraud committed not only with a constitutional body but the society at large and necessary interrogation is warranted to reveal all the aspects and attributes related to the said fraud committed against the nation,” the high court had said, dismissing her petition.

Vacating the interim protection given to her on August 12, 2024, the high court had said, “this court deems it appropriate to dismiss the present application filed for grant of anticipatory bail as this court is prima facie satisfied that a strong case is made out against the petitioner and the said conduct is part of a larger conspiracy which can only be revealed if the investigative agency is given the due opportunity to apprehend the petitioner and investigate the case without there being any chance to hamper the witnesses and the evidence.”

However, Khedkar contended that she did not have any criminal antecedents and that she was an unmarried woman with benchmark disability. The accused submitted that she joined the All India Service, was appointed after physical verification and was entitled to protection under the All India Services Act and Rules, besides the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, until proved otherwise.