Puja Khedkar Took UPSC Exam 12 Times, Requests Delhi High Court To Consider Only Five Attempts Taken As Divyang Candidate

Former IAS trainee Puja Khedkar, disqualified by the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC), has argued that only five attempts of the Civil Services Entrance (CSE) exam which she took as a divyang (differently-abled) candidate should be counted.

Notably, Khedkar took the CSE exam 12 times, seven times as a general category student and five times as a divyang candidate. She requested the Delhi High Court to disregard the attempts taken as the general candidate.

Khedkar has claimed a 47 per cent disability, citing an "old ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear with left knee instability," which is well above the government's 40 per cent benchmark for the reservation benefits she availed.

The number of permissible attempts for such candidates is nine, so Khedkar claims that she qualified for the exam in just five attempts, which, too, is as per the government criterion, NDTV reported.

The affidavit, making the above arguments, was filed by Khedkar in the Delhi High Court on Friday (30 August). Earlier, the court extended her interim protection from arrest until 5 September.

Khedkar is accused of fraudulently availing attempts in the UPSC examination beyond the permissible limit by forging documents like name and surname, OBC Non-Creamy Layer certificate and disability certificate.

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.

Khedkar has argued in the court that the UPSC is not in authority to disqualify her, and only the Centre’s Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) can take such action. She also refuted forgery allegations.