Puja Khedkar won't be arrested till September 5, rules Delhi High Court

The UPSC, last month, cancelled Khedkar's candidature and debarred her from future exams.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday extended interim protection from arrest to former probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar till September 5. A case was registered against her for fraudulently availing attempts in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination beyond the permissible limit by faking her identity.

Earlier, during a hearing on Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea, Justice Subramonium Prasad of the Delhi High Court deferred the hearing to August 29, 2024, as the Delhi Police had not filed its response.

Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Khedkar, requested additional time to review the UPSC’s response, which opposes the anticipatory bail plea.

At the previous hearing, the Delhi High Court had issued notices to both the Delhi Police and the UPSC regarding Khedkar’s bail plea.

The Delhi High Court had earlier observed that the trial court’s order denying bail to Khedkar lacked substantial discussion, with only a brief mention of the public prosecutor’s claims about the involvement of others. The High Court had instructed the police not to arrest Khedkar while the proceedings were ongoing.

The UPSC had, on August 21, opposed Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea, arguing that her custodial interrogation is essential to "unearth" the truth about those who assisted her in fraudulently securing additional civil services examination attempts by falsifying her identity.

In an affidavit submitted before the Delhi High Court, the Commission had highlighted the seriousness of the fraud, which it claimed has compromised not only the UPSC's reputation but also public trust in its credibility.