New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) trainee officer Puja Khedkar, who is accused of forging documents and allegedly misusing the OBC non-creamy layer quota to gain eligibility for the 2022 Civil Services entrance exam.
Providing relief to Khedkar, the Supreme Court observed that she is “not a drug lord or a terrorist,” while the Delhi Police strongly opposed the anticipatory bail, stating that she was not cooperating with the investigation.
“She is not a NDPS offender. You should have a system or a software. You complete the investigation. She has lost everything and will not get a job anywhere,” the Supreme Court observed, while pointing out that the Delhi High Court “ought to have granted bail to the petitioner”.
“Bearing in mind the facts and circumstances of the case, this is a fit case where the Delhi High Court ought to have granted bail to the petitioner,” the bench stated.
A criminal case was registered against Khedkar for allegedly falsifying and misrepresenting his family’s income status and other details while sitting for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam.
Subsequently, the UPSC cancelled her selection after finding her guilty of forging documents. The commission further barred Khedkar for life from appearing for the prestigious exam. A month later, the Centre relieved her of all duties.
Khedkar fell in the eye of the storm in June last year when Pune Collector Suhas Diwase sent a letter to Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, detailing the trainee officer’s demand to be provided with a car, staff and office. Following the row, Khedkar was transferred to Washim.
Soon after, Khedkar’s selection process came under scrutiny as she had allegedly forged documents to seek relaxations under the OBC and persons with disabilities quotas. It later surfaced that Khedkar’s father, an ex-Maharashtra government officer, owned property worth Rs 40 crore, making her non-eligible for the OBC non-creamy layer.