The Union Public Service Commission said it had thoroughly scrutinized the available data of over 15,000 final recommended candidates between 2009 and 2023 and only Puja Khedkar was found guilty of violating UPSC examination rules. (Data map: News18)
Puja's legal options may be limited after the UPSC decision as she failed to defend herself when the commission gave her a chance and the police case against her currently faces greater challenges than terminating her employment
The Union Public Service Commission has terminated the services of IAS trainee officer Puja Khedkar. The decision was taken after the UPSC found that the charges against her for violating examination rules and guidelines were correct.
“UPSC has carefully checked the existing records and found that her conduct violated the provisions of the CSE-2022 Rules. Her provisional candidature for CSE-2022 has been cancelled, and she has also been permanently barred from participating in all future examinations/selections of UPSC, “The Central Government's Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) said in a statement.
far ahead
Puja's legal options may be limited after the UPSC decision as she failed to defend herself when the commission gave her a chance.
On July 18, UPSC issued a show-cause notice to Puja, accusing her of “exceeding the permissible limits prescribed in the examination rules by forging her identity”.
According to experts, Pooja Khedekar has made herself curious about the matter by refusing to present her side of the story to the committee.
According to the UPSC, she first sought extension from July 25 to August 4. Chance.
“Although she was granted an extension of time, she failed to submit an explanation within the allotted time,” the Justice Department statement said.
Puja had challenged the UPSC decision on her candidature in 2023 before the Central Administrative Tribunal. If she were to challenge the UPSC's 2024 verdict again before the CAT, the commission could argue that she had ample opportunity to present her case but chose not to appear before the court.
Police face greater challenges in handling cases
For now, the police charges against Puja are a bigger challenge for her than ending her job. The Delhi Police lodged an FIR against Puja after a preliminary investigation by the UPSC found that she had forged her name, parents' names, address, phone number and email address. The UPSC said that due to these allegedly fake contents, Puja may have evaded scrutiny and made multiple attempts. Pooja, while seeking anticipatory bail from the Patiala House Court in Delhi, expressed apprehension that the police may now insist on her custodial interrogation. The court stayed the order in her plea.
The police investigation into her parents is also ongoing.
UPSC says due process was followed
The Union Public Service Commission said it had thoroughly scrutinized the available data of over 15,000 final recommended candidates between 2009 and 2023 and only Puja Khedkar was found guilty of violating UPSC examination rules.
“No other candidate was found to have attempted more than the number allowed under CSE rules. In the sole case of Ms. Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, the UPSC Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) failed to detect her attempts mainly because she not only changed He changed his own name and his parents’ names.
The commission said Puja abused the action taken by the UPSC “in good faith” while scrutinizing candidates' certificates. “UPSC only conducts a preliminary examination of the certificate, that is, whether the certificate was issued by the competent authority, the year of issuance, the content of the certificate, the date of issuance of the certificate, whether the certificate has been rewritten, the format of the certificate, etc. Authenticity.
With the UPSC now filing an FIR, not only Puja but even those who provided her caste and medical certificates may face legal action if the conspiracy is proven.
