IAS trainee Puja Khedkar. File
| Photo Credit: ANI
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) informed the Delhi High Court on Wednesday (August 7, 2024) that it will communicate within two days its order cancelling former probationary Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar’s candidature to her.
The High Court disposed of Ms. Khedkar’s plea challenging the Commission’s press release stating that her candidature has been dismissed.
“The petition is disposed of granting liberty to the petitioner (Ms Khedkar) to approach the appropriate forum in accordance with law. It is made clear that this court has neither entered into nor expressed any opinion on the merits of the case and the filing of the present petition will not come in the way of the appropriate forum in adjudicating the issue on merits,” the court said.
During the hearing, senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for Ms. Khedkar, said the cancellation order was never communicated to her and she came to know about it only through the press release.
On being asked by the court as to why she has not approached Central Administrative Tribunal with her challenge, Ms. Khedkar’s counsel said since she was not served with the official order by UPSC, the plea was moved before the high court impugning the press release.
UPSC’s counsel said the order will be communicated by the Commission to Ms. Khedkar within two days on her email id as well as her last known address.
On July 31, the UPSC cancelled Ms. Khedkar’s candidature and debarred her from future exams.
She was accused of ‘misrepresenting information’ in her application for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2022. Ms. Khedkar was also accused of cheating and wrongly availing of OBC and disability quota benefits.
On August 1, a trial court in Delhi had denied her anticipatory bail, saying these are serious allegations that “require a thorough investigation”.