Delhi High Court Extends Puja Khedkar's Pre-Arrest Bail After She Argues UPSC Is Not Authorised To Disqualify Her

The Delhi High Court on Thursday (29 August) extended the interim protection from arrest granted to suspended trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar until 5 September, Hindustan Times reported.

This comes a day after she argued in the court that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) is not in authority to disqualify her, and only the Centre’s Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) can take such action.

Khedkar also refuted the UPSC's allegations and claimed that she neither changed her first name and surname from 2012 to 2022 nor manipulated or misrepresented her name to the commission.

"All other details, including academic certificates, Aadhaar card, date of birth, and personal information, have remained consistent in the DAF (Detailed Application Form)," Khedkar's defence said.

The UPSC had argued that Khedkar was a "mastermind" and that her actions would not have been possible without the assistance of others. This argument supports their position that custodial interrogation is necessary.

In response, Khedkar argued that custodial interrogation was not required because the UPSC already possesses 11 documents with no need for any further documentation and hence, she should get pre-arrest bail.

Last month, the UPSC canceled the provisional candidature of Khedkar. A First Information Report (FIR) was filed by the Delhi Police under sections of the Indian Penal Code, Information Technology Act and Right of Persons with Disability Act.

Last week, the Delhi High Court had extended the interim protection from arrest till 29 August. Khedkar is accused of fraudulently availing attempts in the UPSC examination beyond the permissible limit.