Delhi court reserves order on Puja Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea

Delhi court reserves order on anticipatory bail for IAS officer accused of UPSC exam fraud, facing custodial interrogation.

A Delhi court on July 31 reserved order on an anticipatory bail application moved by the trainee Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar, who is accused of using fraudulent means to pass the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination.

The public prosecutor argued that custodial interrogation of Ms. Khedkar was necessary as she had duped the system and society while the counsel representing the trainee IAS officer claimed that she was being targeted after she lodged a harassment complaint against the Pune Collector.

The Delhi police have booked Ms. Khedkar for fraudulently availing the reservation of Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities to clear the civil service examination.

As per the communique from the UPSC, the trainee IAS officer deceitfully availed attempts beyond the permissible limit under the examination rules by faking her identity, changing her and her parents’ name along with her photograph/ signature, email ID, mobile number and address.

Additional sessions judge Devender Kumar Jangala of Patiala House Court will pronounce the order on Ms. Khedkar’s bail on August 1.

During the bail hearing, the Delhi police told the court that Ms. Khedkar would not cooperate in the investigation if given bail and that her custodial interrogation was necessary.

Public prosecutor Atul Srivastava argued that Ms. Khedkar had intentionally used the fraudulent means to pass the exam.