Puja Khedkar claimed that she was targeted because she filed a sexual harassment charge against an officer, but the prosecution alleged that she “cheated the system”.
In Short
- Puja Khedkar claims she was targeted for filing sexual harassment complaint
- Prosecution says she ‘cheated the system’, ‘abused process of law’
- Court approves request for custodial interrogation, denies bail to her
A Delhi court dismissed former trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar’s anticipatory release application on Thursday, accusing her of cheating and forgery in order to be selected in the Civil Service Examination. This comes a day after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) cancelled her candidacy amid widespread outrage.
During the court, Khedkar alleged that she was being targeted for submitting a sexual harassment charge against an officer and requested anticipatory relief “to establish her innocence”. The prosecution rejected the application, claiming that she had “cheated the system”.
Khedkar, who was selected as an IAS officer in the Maharashtra cadre’s 2023 batch, is accused of fabricating documents, including a Physical Disability Certificate and a Non-Creamy Layer Certificate, in order to secure OBC reservation in the prestigious test. She is also accused of faking her identity in order to take the UPSC exam after the deadline.
The Delhi Police has filed a case against Khedkar in response to the UPSC’s allegation, citing laws relating to forgery, cheating, the IT Act, and the Disability Act.
Atul Srivastava, the public prosecutor, said that the inquiry is “at a very nascent stage” and that her custody interrogation is necessary for further prosecution of the case.
“These types of people who cheat the system must be dealt with severely. “This person has abused the process of law,” he stated, adding that the possibility of her abusing the law remained.
On Wednesday, the UPSC terminated the probationary IAS officer’s provisional candidature and prevented her from participating in any future examinations or selections. “The UPSC has carefully examined the available records and found her guilty of acting in contravention of the provisions of the CSE-2022 Rules,” the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) stated.
The charges against Khedkar surfaced when the Pune District Collector filed a report with the Maharashtra Chief Secretary describing the alleged misuse of power by the trainee IAS officer. She wanted special treatment, such as a separate cabin, house, vehicle, and support staff, to which no trainee officer is entitled. She even threatened the officers.
Following this, other complaints, including RTI information, called into question her selection for the Civil Service. A preliminary investigation indicated that she had falsified a physical impairment certificate, and her OBC category was also called into question because her family owns more than Rs 40 crore in wealth. The central government appointed a team to probe Khedkar and the police case.
Khedkar had filed a harassment case against Pune District Collector Suhas Diwase, who reported her alleged abuse of authority to the Maharashtra government, resulting in her removal from Pune to Washim.
