NEW DELHI, April 21: The Supreme Court on Monday extended, till May 21, its earlier order directing that no coercive action be taken against sacked Maharashtra cadre probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who allegedly submitted false OBC and PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities) certificates and fraudulently availed attempts beyond the permissible limits for the civil services examination by faking her identity.
A bench comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna and S.C. Sharma directed Khedkar to appear before the Delhi Police on May 2 for interrogation, warning of drastic consequences should she fail to cooperate with the ongoing investigation.
In an earlier hearing, the bench led by Justice Nagarathna adjourned proceedings after Khedkar’s counsel claimed that although a reply to the counter affidavit filed by the Delhi Police had been submitted, it had not been entered into the court record. The apex court, deferring the matter till April 21, instructed its registry to verify the status of the rejoinder affidavit filed on Khedkar’s behalf and meanwhile extended the interim protection from arrest.
The top court had earlier questioned the Delhi Police over the slow pace of the investigation. Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, appearing for the Delhi Police, asserted that custodial interrogation of Khedkar was necessary to probe a “larger scam” and identify potential middlemen involved in the alleged fraud.
“We want to investigate whether this (Puja Khedkar’s) is an isolated case or there is a larger number of cases,” Raju said.
Responding, the Supreme Court acknowledged the possibility of expanding the investigation’s scope but questioned the necessity of custodial interrogation. The court directed the Delhi Police to pursue the probe diligently and emphasized that Khedkar must continue cooperating with investigators.
Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Khedkar, stated that she is “willing and available” to cooperate with the ongoing Delhi Police probe.
On January 15, the Supreme Court had directed both the Delhi Police and the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to respond to Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea, granting her ad interim protection from arrest.
Earlier, the Delhi High Court had dismissed Khedkar’s pre-arrest bail plea and revoked an earlier order that had temporarily shielded her from arrest. In its judgment dated December 15, 2024, Justice Chandra Dhari Singh held that a strong prima facie case had been made against Khedkar, stating that custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth the full facts of the case.
The High Court had reserved its decision on her bail plea on November 28, 2024, clarifying that the interim protection granted on August 12 would continue until the judgment was delivered.
Before that, a trial court had also denied her anticipatory bail and instructed investigators to determine whether any insider from the UPSC had assisted Khedkar in her alleged fraud. Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala also directed Delhi Police to examine whether other UPSC-recommended candidates had availed quota benefits without rightful eligibility.
On September 7, 2024, the Central government terminated Khedkar’s appointment to the Indian Administrative Service with immediate effect, one month after the UPSC cancelled her selection to government service. She was found guilty of misusing OBC and disability quota provisions and barred for life from appearing in the civil services exam after being found guilty of faking her identity and taking the exam multiple times.
