UPSC cheating case: Puja Khedkar seeks pre-arrest bail, moves SC

NEW DELHI: Former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, accused of cheating and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination, has moved the Supreme Court for anticipatory bail. A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma is scheduled to hear the plea on January 15.

Khedkar has challenged the December 23 2024 Delhi High Court order which refused to grant her anticipatory bail. The high court said a strong prima facie case was made out against Khedkar and an investigation was required to unearth the "larger conspiracy" to manipulate the system and a pre-arrest bail would adversely impact it.

"Anticipatory bail plea is dismissed. Interim protection from arrest is vacated," the high court said. Khedkar was granted an interim protection from arrest when the high court issued notice on her anticipatory bail plea on August 12, 2024, and it was extended from time to time.

The UPSC examination was the most prestigious test and the case was a classic instance of fraud committed on a constitutional body as well as the society, the high court said. Khedkar is accused of misrepresenting information in her application for the UPSC civil services examination, 2022, to get reservation benefits.

She refuted all the allegations against her. The anticipatory bail plea was opposed by the Delhi Police counsel and the complainant, the UPSC, in the high court. While Khedkar's counsel argued she was willing to join and cooperate in the investigation and as all the material was documentary in nature, her custody was not required, Delhi Police said her custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth the involvement of others.

The UPSC opposed the plea and said Khedkar committed a fraud against it and the public, and her custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth the "magnitude" of the fraud which couldn't have been done without the help of others. The UPSC initiated a series of actions against Khedkar, including lodging of a criminal case, for availing attempts in the civil services exam by faking her identity whereas Delhi Police lodged an FIR for various offences.