UPSC Cancels Puja Khedkar's Candidature And Bars Her From Future Exams

On Wednesday, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) revoked the provisional candidacy of the controversial trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar and permanently banned her from participating in any future exams administered by the commission, according to officials.

Puja Khedkar is alleged to have exploited disability and Other Backward Class (non-creamy layer) quotas to gain her position in the civil services examination.

In its statement, the UPSC panel noted that a Show Cause Notice (SCN) was issued to Puja Khedkar on July 18 for fraudulently exceeding the allowable number of attempts in the examination by "faking her identity."

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The deadline for her response was subsequently extended to July 30, with the commission emphasizing that this was the "final opportunity" and that "no further extensions" would be granted.

Puja Khedkar has been charged by the Delhi Police Crime Branch for misusing the disability and Other Backward Class (non-creamy layer) quotas to secure her place in the civil services exam.

A team led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) was assigned to gather documents from various government departments.

She faces charges under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 464 (forging documents in the name of a fictitious person), 465 (forgery), and 471 (using forged documents as genuine), as well as under sections 89 and 91 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act and section 66D of the Information Technology Act.

The 2023-batch IAS officer, who was previously serving as a probationary assistant collector in Pune, was transferred to Washim earlier this month amid allegations of misrepresenting herself under the physical disabilities category.

During her time in Pune, Puja Khedkar is alleged to have abused her position by demanding benefits and privileges she was not entitled to. Her mother, Manorama Khedkar, is also in judicial custody in connection with a land dispute case.

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