In a recent development, former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar has moved to the Delhi High Court seeking anticipatory bail in a case alleging her involvement in cheating and fraudulent attainment of reservation benefits under the OBC and disability quotas. Her plea is set to be heard by Justice Subramonium Prasad on Friday.
Khedkar is accused of falsifying her application during the 2022 UPSC Civil Services Examination to secure these reservation benefits illegitimately. The controversy has escalated following the Union Public Service Commission’s (UPSC) decision on July 31 to cancel Khedkar’s candidature and impose a ban on her participation in future examinations.
The issue first came into the judiciary’s spotlight when a sessions court denied her anticipatory bail on August 1, citing the gravity of the allegations and the necessity for a thorough investigation. The court emphasized the need for custodial interrogation to uncover potential broader conspiracies and the involvement of other parties.
Khedkar, who has yet to be arrested, previously sought bail from the sessions court, arguing an “immediate threat of arrest.” However, the court dismissed her concerns, suggesting that her case could be the “tip of the iceberg” in a larger issue of reservation fraud. The court has instructed the Delhi Police to rigorously investigate not only Khedkar’s case but also other similar instances that might involve collusion with insiders at the UPSC.
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Despite her claims of being wrongly implicated and subjected to a media trial and witch-hunt, the sessions court found these arguments unconvincing against the backdrop of “sufficient incriminating material” on record. The court’s statement highlighted that the alleged conspiracy was “hatched in a pre-planned manner” and likely involved other external or internal accomplices, reinforcing the decision against granting anticipatory bail at this stage.
