NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday extended the interim protection from arrest granted to former trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar till August 29, providing temporary relief as she faces allegations of falsifying documents and misrepresenting facts in her application to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
During the hearing on Wednesday, Justice Subramonium Prasad deferred the proceedings on Khedkar’s plea seeking anticipatory bail, citing that the Delhi Police had not yet filed their response. The extension of protection was granted after Advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Khedkar, requested additional time to review the UPSC’s response, which opposes her bail plea.
Khedkar’s legal troubles began when accusations surfaced that she had manipulated her identity and credentials to gain extra attempts in the civil services examination. The Delhi High Court had previously issued notices to the Delhi Police and the UPSC in response to her anticipatory bail application, following the dismissal of her plea by the Patiala House Court.
In its earlier ruling, the trial court had denied Khedkar’s bail, emphasising the seriousness of the allegations. The court noted that Khedkar’s actions suggested a pre-planned conspiracy, possibly involving insiders or other individuals, to breach the UPSC’s scrutiny system. It argued that custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover the full extent of the conspiracy and the involvement of others.
The trial court’s findings highlighted concerns about the transparency and fairness of the UPSC’s procedures, pointing out that Khedkar’s case could be just the “tip of the iceberg.” The court urged the UPSC to strengthen its standard operating procedures (SOPs) to prevent such breaches in the future and recommended a broader investigation to identify other candidates who might have illegally benefited from similar manipulations.