NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered that no coercive action will be taken against Indian Administrative Service (IAS) trainee officer Puja Khedkar till February 14.
A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma issued notice to the Delhi government and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Khedkar’s plea seeking anticipatory bail.
The matter was posted for hearing on February 14.
Khedkar is accused of misrepresenting information in her application for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2022, to obtain reservation benefits.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court dismissed Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea and quashed the interim protection granted to him earlier.
The court, while rejecting Khedkar’s plea, said that UPSC is a prestigious examination and stressed that the case reflects fraud against both the organization and the society.
The court stressed the need for interrogation to unravel the conspiracy.
“The conduct in this case, prima facie, appears to be intended to deceive the organization,” the court observed.
Khedkar is facing criminal charges by the Delhi Police for allegedly cheating and wrongfully claiming OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination.
The Delhi Police recently lodged an FIR following UPSC’s complaint against Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, alleging that she forged her identity to fraudulently exceed permitted exam attempts.