The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Wednesday opposed anticipatory bail to ex-IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, saying that her custodial interrogation was needed to identify more people who might have aided her in committing the alleged fraud. UPSC told the Delhi High Court that such a grave act of misusing and abusing the administrative process in a systemic manner by making incorrect and false statements, regarding her number of attempts and suppressing material information which she was duty bound to disclose, could not have been achieved without the assistance and helping hand of several other individuals, all of which requires to be unearthed by custodial interrogation.
The Delhi High Court had earlier granted an interim relief to Khedkar while staying her arrest and had asked the UPSC and Delhi police to file their responses to her anticipatory bail plea.
The UPSC in its affidavit filed in the high court said that her custodial interrogation was required to identify those who aided her in fraudulently availing additional attempts at the civil services examination by faking her identity.
Terming the gravity of the fraud as "unprecedented," the UPSC said that the fraud was not only committed against the commission, whose traditions are untrammelled and unparalleled, but also against the public at large.
UPSC further said that Khedkar employed a high level design to cheat, mislead, misrepresent, and play foul with not only the commission but other authorities to commit the alleged fraud. It further opposed anticipatory bail for the ex-IAS probationer saying that she conspired to gain undue advantage through unfair means and committed serious offences affecting the public at large.
UPSC further said that it appears that a conspiracy has been hatched and executed with the aid, assistance, and involvement of many more persons who can be identified on the basis of effective custodial interrogation only.
Earlier, the Delhi Court denied anticipatory bail to former probationer IAS officer Puja Khedkar over alleged misrepresenting and falsifying facts in her application form for UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2022. The court asked the investigation agency to find out whether an insider from the UPSC helped her.
Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala of Patiala House Courts also directed the probe agency to widen the scope of investigation to include all those who have availed such benefits in past despite not being entitled under persons with benchmark disabilities quota.
Accused of faking disabilty certificate and OBC certificate, Khedkar had told the Delhi court that she is being targetted because she filed a sexual harassment case against a Collector.
Her counsel had argued in the court that the medical board has said that she is a candidate with multiple disabilities and has permanent benchmark disability.
According to UPSC, Khedkar fraudulently availed attempts by faking her identity by changing her name from Pooja to Puja. She is also accused of changing her parents' details. The court was informed that Khedkar's father has declared assets worth Rs 55 crore. To claim OBC quota benefit she allegedly said that her parents are divorced.
On July 31, the UPSC cancelled her candidature saying she was found guilty of acting in contravention of the provisions. UPSC in its fresh affidavit said that Khedkar either tampered with medical reports or obtained them through unfair means which requires thorough investigation.
"At this stage, it is not far-fetched and unimaginable in the facts and circumstances of the instant case to have a prima facie view that even the medical reports to claim the benefit of disability are tampered with or obtained through unfair means," UPSC said.