Controversial IAS Officer Puja Khedkar gets relief- Delhi HC grants interim protection till August 21
Controversial IAS Officer Puja Khedkar gets relief- Delhi HC grants interim protection till August 21
In a new twist to the fraudulent case concerning IAS Officer Puja Khedkar, Delhi High Court has issued notices to the Delhi Police and the UPSC, urging them to file their responses by August 21 for the need of Puja Khedkar’s Police custody to
unearth the conspiracy.
Notedly, accused Puja Khedkar, a 2023-batch IAS officer fraudulently availed attempts beyond permissible limit by faking her identity.
On Monday, 12 August, the Delhi
High Court, while granting interim protection said that till next hearing on August 21, the accused IAS Officer in no way can be arrested. Puja misrepresented and falsified facts in her application for UPSC Civil Services for the 2022 Examination.
Justice Subramonium Prasad, while issuing notice to the Delhi Police and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea, urged them to file their responses by the next date of hearing on August 21.
He added that as of now, it does not seem to him that her immediate custody is required.
Meanwhile, the Court further said “Issue notice… In the facts of the present case, this court is of the opinion that the petitioner be not arrested till the next date of hearing. List on August 21 in the supplementary list.”
The UPSC had on July 31 cancelled Khedkar’s candidature and debarred her from all future exams and selection processes.
Further in the midst of the hearing of the plea on Monday, Justice Prasad quizzed the Delhi Police why Khedkar’s custody was required when none is involved in the entire chain of events and everything is done by her alone.
The case is that when false representation is given by her in application form, it is her form only, the High Court asked where is the question of anyone else being involved in the entire episode which will require her custody?.
Appearing for the UPSC, senior advocate Naresh Kaushik called Khedkar a “mastermind” and the way she has got into the system speaks volume about how influential she is.
Trial court was ‘boggled’ by allegations against Puja Khedkar
The Delhi High Court also remarked that the trial court while denying relief from arrest to Khedkar got boggled from the offence allegedly committed by her and did not properly deal with her plea for bail.
Justice Prasad further said that the trial court was boggled from the offence committed but not as to why bail should or should not be granted.
Adding further that the judgement of the trial court goes on the offence committed and holds that the offence has been committed but there is hardly any discussion as to why bail sought cannot be granted. Though he is not sitting in appeal, but except from one paragraph about the PP [public prosecutor] submission that there are others involved and conspiracy is to be unearthed, there is no other discussion on bail.
He also said that in big matters, courts get embroiled in the allegations and, at times, lose sight of the relief being sought before it.
What happens in these big matters is we get so much embroiled in the arguments that we lose sight of the relief sought… we lose sight of the purpose for which bail was filed.
Khedkar had moved the Delhi High Court challenging Patiala House Court’s decision to deny her anticipatory bail.
The Patiala House Court in Delhi found the allegations against her of falsifying identity for extra attempts in the civil services examination serious and emphasised on the need of thorough investigation.
As per trial court judge custodial interrogation of Khedkar was required to unearth the whole conspiracy and to establish the involvement of other persons involved in the conspiracy.
In June this year, Khedkar joined the Pune Collectorate as part of her probationary training. She has been accused of “misusing” quotas under Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Persons With Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) to clear the CSE.
News Edit K.V.Raman
