Ex IAS Officer Puja Khedkar Claims UPSC Doesn't Have Power To Disqualify Her

Former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, who has been accused of cheating and wrongly securing OBC (Other Backward Class) and disability quota benefits, has told the Delhi High Court that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) - which conducts the civil services exam - has no power to take disqualify her.

The UPSC last month cancelled Puja Khedkar's candidature and debarred her from future exams. The Commission alleged that she misrepresented information in her application for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2022 to get reservation benefits.

"Once selected and appointed as a Probationary Officer, UPSC does not have the power to disqualify the candidature," Puja Khedkar, who is seeking anticipatory bail in the criminal case against her, said in a response filed before the court on the UPSC's charges against her.

She said that now only the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) of the Central Government can take action against her.

Puja Khedkar On UPSC's "Changed Her Name" Charge

The UPSC has claimed that Puja Khedkar attempted the uber-competitive qualifying test more than the six times permitted for a general category candidate. She did so by changing her name, and that of her parents, which is why the Commission said it could not detect the violation.

Puja Khedkar, however, refuted these allegations and said that there has been no change in her name or surname from 2012 to 2022. She also said that she had not given any wrong information about herself to the UPSC.

"UPSC verified my identity through biometric data. The Commission did not find my documents fake or incorrect. My educational certificate, Aadhaar card, date of birth, and other personal information were found to be absolutely correct," she told the court.

"All the necessary verifications were also done by DoPT. As per DoPT, a medical board constituted by AIIMS conducted my medical examination. The board found my disability to be up to 47% and more than the 40% disability required for the PwBD (Person with Benchmark Disability) category," she said in her reply.

Puja Khedkar's "Fraud" Not Only Against Us But Public Too: UPSC

The UPSC, earlier this month, opposed in the Delhi High Court an anticipatory bail petition by Puja Khedkar, saying she committed "fraud" against the commission and the public. 

In its reply filed in court on August 21, the UPSC said Puja Khedkar's custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth the magnitude of the "fraud" that could not have been done without the help of other individuals. Therefore, her pre-arrest bail plea should be dismissed, it said.

"The gravity of the fraud committed is unprecedented in nature having been committed against not only a constitutional body -- the complainant -- whose traditions are untrammelled and unparalleled but also against the public at large, including the citizens of this country who have utmost faith upon the credibility of the UPSC as well as persons who could not be appointed despite being duly eligible and qualified due to illegal means employed by the applicant to seek appointment," the UPSC said.

The Delhi Police has also sought dismissal of the pre-arrest bail plea on the ground that any relief to her would hinder its probe into the "deep-rooted conspiracy" and that the case has wider implications on public trust as well as the integrity of the civil services examination.

The Delhi High Court today extended Puja Khedkar's interim protection from arrest and listed the case for further hearing on September 5.