A Delhi court on Thursday rejected the anticipatory bail request of former trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who is accused of cheating and forgery of documents to secure selection in the Civil Service Examination. This comes a day after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) cancelled her candidature amid a massive controversy.
During the hearing, Khedkar claimed that she was being targeted for filing a sexual harassment complaint against an officer and wanted the anticipatory bail "to establish her innocence". The prosecution opposed the application, saying that she has "cheated the system".
Khedkar, who was selected as an IAS officer in the 2023 batch of the Maharashtra cadre, is accused of forging documents, including a Physical Disability Certificate and Non-Creamy Layer Certificate, to obtain OBC reservation in the prestigious examination. She has also allegedly faked her identity to attend the UPSC examination beyond the permissible limit.
