Puja Khedkar refutes fraud charges, says 'UPSC has no power to disqualify me'

Former IAS trainee officer Puja Khedkar, who was dismissed for allegedly abusing her position, has contested her disqualification, arguing that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) lacks authority to take action against her. In a response filed before the Delhi High Court on the UPSC's charges against her, Puja Khedkar argued that once selected and appointed as a probationer, the UPSC ceases power to disqualify her candidature.

"DoPT (Department of Personnel and Training) alone can take action under the All India services Act, 1954 and the Probationer Rules as per Rule 19 of the CSE 2022 Rules," Khedkar said.

Khedkar's provisional candidacy was revoked by the UPSC on July 31st, and she was prohibited from participating in any further exams or selection processes. The ruling was made subsequent to Khedkar's conviction for power abuse and violating the CSE (Civil Services Exam) 2022 regulations, which included "faking her identity".

The UPSC also initiated a criminal case against Khedkar for cheating, fraudulence and forgery. Following this, Khedkar moved the Delhi High Court challenging the UPSC's decision to cancel her provisional candidature. In her response before the court, Khedkar claimed that she did not manipulate or misrepresent her name to UPSC.

Puja Khedkar, till 2020-21, appeared for the examination under the OBC quota using the name 'Puja Diliprao Khedkar'. In 2021-22, after exhausting all the attempts, she appeared for the exam under the OBC and PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities) quotas - this time using the name ‘Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar’. She managed to clear the examination with a rank of 821
 

• All India services Act
• Delhi High Court
• Puja Khedkar
• UPSC