UPSC Cancels Puja Khedkar’s Candidature Over Fraud Claims

In a surprising move, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has cancelled the provisional candidature of Puja Khedkar for the civil services examination. Besides cancelling her candidacy, they’ve also placed a ban on her from appearing in any future exams conducted by the commission.

This decision comes after a detailed investigation into Khedkar’s eligibility. She has been accused of misusing the quotas for those with disabilities and the Other Backward Classes (OBC).

According to an official statement from UPSC, they found Khedkar guilty of breaking the civil services examination rules after a careful review of all the evidence. They mentioned, “As a result, her provisional candidature for CSE-2022 has been revoked, and she is permanently barred from all future UPSC Examinations and Selections.”

The panel revealed that a Show Cause Notice was issued to her back on July 18 for allegedly attempting to pass the exam while exceeding the allowed attempts by falsifying her identity

Despite being given extra time to respond to this notice, Khedkar failed to provide an explanation by the July 30 deadline, which was noted as her last chance.

Now, the Delhi Police Crime Branch has also taken action against Khedkar for her suspected misuse of the OBC and disability quotas. A team led by an Assistant Commissioner of Police is currently investigating this matter, gathering documents from various government departments.

Charges have been filed against her under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, which includes cheating and forgery, along with specific sections concerning the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act and the Information Technology Act.

On July 31, a Delhi court reserved its order regarding a bail application from Khedkar, who is a trainee Indian Administrative Service officer. She stands accused of using deceptive methods to pass the UPSC exam. The public prosecutor insists that her custodial interrogation is vital since she deceived the system.

During the court proceedings, it was argued that Khedkar had made numerous unauthorized claims, such as asserting mental illness and changing her identity details to secure a position in the civil services.

However, her defense claims she is being targeted due to a harassment complaint she filed against a senior IAS officer. Khedkar’s lawyer argued that her disability was verified by eight different doctors from AIIMS, suggesting she had a legitimate claim to the quotas.