The government has discharged former trainee officer Puja Khedkar, accused of misusing OBC and disability quota benefits in the UPSC exams, from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) with immediate effect.
In an official order on Friday, Khedkar was discharged under Rule 12 of IAS (Probation) Rules, 1954.
Puja Khedkar, till 2020-21, appeared for the examination under the OBC quota using the name 'Puja Diliprao Khedkar'. In 2021-22, after exhausting all the attempts, she appeared for the exam under the OBC and PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities) quotas - this time using the name ‘Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar’. She managed to clear the examination with a rank of 821.
On July 31, the UPSC cancelled Khedkar's provisional candidature and barred her from appearing in any future examinations or selections. The decision was taken after Khedkar was found guilty of misusing her powers and acting in contravention of the provisions of the CSE (Civil Services Exam) 2022 rules, including "faking her identity".
The UPSC also initiated a criminal case against Khedkar for cheating, fraudulence and forgery.
Following this, Khedkar approached the Delhi High Court challenging the UPSC's decision to cancel her provisional candidature.
In her response before the court, Khedkar claimed that she did not manipulate or misrepresent her name to UPSC.
This is a developing story. It will be updated.
