- By Nidhi Giri
- Wed, 21 Aug 2024 01:27 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Puja Khedkar Row: Delhi High Court on Wednesday extended till August 29, the interim protection from arrest for former trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar. Her candidature was cancelled by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) over ‘malpractice’. The court had instructed the investigation agency not to arrest her while the matter is under consideration, noting that immediate arrest is not deemed necessary.
Justice Subramonium Prasad of the Delhi High Court has deferred the hearing on suspended IAS officer Puja Khedkar's anticipatory bail plea to August 29, 2024. The deferral was due to the Delhi Police's reply not being filed on record yet, according to an ANI report.
Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra, representing Khedkar, also requested additional time to review the UPSC's response, which opposes the anticipatory bail plea.
On the last date of hearing, the Delhi High Court had issued notices to the Delhi Police and Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) regarding the anticipatory bail plea of suspended IAS officer Puja Khedkar.
Puja Khedkar Case
34-year-old Puja Khedkar, an IAS officer of the Maharashtra cadre batch of 2023 who obtained an All India Rank (AIR) of 841 in the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam, was found herself at the centre of a controversy after using her private Audi car with a red-blue beacon light and VIP number plate. She is also under the scanner for allegedly misusing the disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) quota to secure a position in the IAS.
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Khedkar reportedly submitted a mental illness certificate. Earlier in April 2022, the IAS probationer was also asked to report to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, for verification of her disability certificate. Still, she did not do so, citing a COVID-19 infection.
(With Agency Inputs)