Noose Tightens: Delhi Court Rejects Anticipatory Bail Plea Of Puja Khedkar

New Delhi: The noose is tightening around former trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar.

Accused of cheating and forgery of documents to secure selection in the Civil Service Examination, Puja’s anticipatory bail petition was on Thursday rejected by a Delhi court on Thursday.

A day after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) cancelled Puja’s candidature amid massive nationwide outrage, she claimed during the hearing that she was being targeted for filing a sexual harassment complaint against an officer and wanted the anticipatory bail “to establish her innocence.”

The prosecution opposed the application, saying that she has repeatedly cheated the system.

Refusing to grant anticipatory bail to Puja, the court observed that custodial interrogation is required to unearth the entire conspiracy.

“Custodial interrogation of the applicant/accused is required to unearth the whole conspiracy and to establish involvement of the other persons involved in the conspiracy. In the present facts and circumstances, I am of the considered opinion that it is not a fit case to exercise discretionary powers of anticipatory bail in favour of the applicant/accused,” additional sessions judge (ASJ) Devender Kumar Jangala said in his order.

Delhi Police filed a case against Puja on UPSC’s complaint, under sections related to forgery, cheating, IT Act and Disability Act.

Public prosecutor Atul Srivastava argued that the investigation in the case is “at a very nascent stage”.

“These kinds of persons who cheat the system must be dealt with very seriously. This person has abused the process of law,” Srivastava submitted, adding that chances of her abusing the law was still there.

Puja, who was selected as an IAS officer in the 2023 batch of Maharashtra cadre, is accused of forging documents, including a Physical Disability Certificate and Non-Creamy Layer Certificate, to obtain OBC reservation in the prestigious examination. She has also allegedly faked her identity to attend the UPSC examination beyond the permissible limit.