The Delhi High Court has issued a notice to former probationary Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar, seeking her response to the Union Public Service Commission’s (UPSC) plea for initiating perjury proceedings against her. The court has provided Khedkar with three weeks to respond to the allegations of making false statements under oath.
Justice Jyoti Singh scheduled the next hearing for November 26, following the UPSC’s claim that Khedkar had lied about not receiving official communication regarding the cancellation of her candidature. According to the UPSC, the crucial email was sent to her registered email address on July 31, the same address she used for her 2022 Civil Service Program (CSP) application. Despite this, Khedkar asserted in court that she only learned of her candidacy’s cancellation through a press release.
Senior advocate Naresh Kaushik, representing the UPSC, argued that Khedkar knowingly provided false information to her legal team and subsequently made false statements under oath. The UPSC’s legal counsel, advocate Vardhman Kaushik, emphasized the gravity of the situation, stating, “Making false averments on oath with the view to obtain favorable orders from the court, being a very serious offense, undermines the very foundation of the legal system.”*
The UPSC’s application pointed out an inconsistency in the dates, noting that Khedkar’s affidavit, dated July 28, referenced a UPSC order that did not exist until July 31. This discrepancy has led the UPSC to urge the court to initiate appropriate legal proceedings and conduct an inquiry into Khedkar’s actions for committing perjury.
Previously, Khedkar had challenged the UPSC’s decision in the high court, claiming she was unaware of her candidacy’s cancellation until the UPSC’s press release. Her allegations extend beyond mere procedural errors, as she was also accused of misrepresenting information and wrongfully availing benefits under the OBC and disability quotas in her application for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2022.
The legal proceedings took a critical turn on August 1 when a trial court denied her anticipatory bail, citing the seriousness of the allegations which it said required a thorough investigation.
