NEW DELHI: A city court on Thursday denied bail to former IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who is accused of clearing the UPSC exam by misusing reservation benefits. Khedkar allegedly exploited the quotas for OBC and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities (PwD) to secure her position in the civil services exam.
Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala not only rejected her anticipatory bail plea, but also directed Delhi Police to expand its probe to uncover if others had similarly abused these quotas.
“The investigation agency needs to widen the scope of the probe. The agency is directed to identify candidates recommended by UPSC in recent years who have availed of attempts beyond permissible limits, obtained OBC (non-creamy layer) benefits despite ineligibility, or claimed PwD benefits without entitlement,” the judge said.
The court also told cops to probe whether any UPSC officials had helped Khedkar in her fraudulent activities. The probe was initiated following a complaint from UPSC.
During the hearing, Khedkar argued that the charges against her are fabricated, stemming from a vendetta by the Pune Collector, against whom she had previously filed a sexual harassment complaint. She requested the opportunity to defend herself under service rules. However, both the Delhi Police and UPSC maintained that custodial interrogation was essential to uncover the extent of her deception.
Khedkar also accused the media of conducting a witch hunt against her.
“I am of the considered opinion that the allegations against the accused are grave and serious which requires thorough investigation. Custodial interrogation of the accused is required to unearth the whole conspiracy and to establish involvement of the other persons involved in conspiracy,” the court ordered read.