NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered that no coercive action shall be taken against Indian Administrative Service (IAS) trainee officer Puja Khedkar till February 14.
A bench of justices B V 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 has been posted for hearing on February 14.
Khedkar is accused of misrepresenting information in her application for the UPSC civil services examination, 2022, to get reservation benefits.
Earlier, Delhi high court dismissed Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea and vacated the interim protection previously granted to her.
The bench while rejecting Khedkar’s plea, said that the UPSC is a prestigious examination and remarked that the case reflects fraud against both the organisation and society.
The court stressed the need for interrogation to unravel the conspiracy.
“The conduct in this case, prima facie, appears to be aimed at deceiving the organisation,” the court observed.
Khedkar faces criminal charges from the Delhi Police for allegedly cheating and wrongfully claiming OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services exam.
A recent FIR was filed by Delhi Police following UPSC’s complaint against Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, alleging she faked her identity to fraudulently exceed the permissible exam attempts.