Delhi Court Denies Bail to Trainee IAS Officer Puja Khedkar Over Serious Allegations
The Delhi Court has dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, a Trainee IAS officer, due to grave and serious allegations that necessitate a thorough investigation. Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala stated that custodial interrogation is required to uncover the entire conspiracy and identify other involved individuals.
Khedkar faces charges under Sections 420, 468, 471, and 120B of the IPC, Section 66D of the IT Act, and Sections 89 and 91 of the Rights of Persons with Disability Act, 2016. She is accused of cheating the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) by misrepresenting her status and preparing false documents to support her claims.
The court noted that the conspiracy was preplanned and executed over several years, likely with assistance from others. The OBC (non-creamy layer) status and multiple benchmark disabilities claimed by Khedkar are also under investigation.
The UPSC, responsible for conducting exams for prestigious posts, must maintain transparency and fairness. The court emphasized the need for the UPSC to strengthen its standard operating procedures to prevent future breaches and to re-examine recent recommendations to identify candidates who may have illegally availed benefits.
The investigating agency has been directed to widen its scope to include candidates who have exceeded permissible attempts, falsely claimed OBC benefits, or falsely claimed disability benefits. The agency must also investigate potential insider assistance from the UPSC.
Khedkar recently filed for anticipatory bail following an FIR registered by the Delhi Police based on a complaint from the UPSC, alleging she faked her identity to fraudulently exceed the permissible attempt limit in the civil services examination.
Doubts Revealed
Delhi Court -: The Delhi Court is a place in Delhi where judges make decisions about legal cases.
Bail -: Bail is when someone who is in trouble with the law is allowed to stay out of jail until their trial, usually by paying money.
Trainee IAS Officer -: A Trainee IAS Officer is someone who is learning to become an Indian Administrative Service officer, which is a very important job in the government.
Serious Allegations -: Serious allegations are very important and bad accusations that someone has done something wrong.
Anticipatory Bail -: Anticipatory bail is when someone asks the court to let them stay out of jail before they are even arrested, because they think they might be arrested soon.
Cheating and Misrepresentation -: Cheating means doing something unfair or dishonest to get an advantage. Misrepresentation means lying or giving false information.
Civil Services Examination -: The Civil Services Examination is a very tough test in India that people take to get important government jobs like IAS officers.
IPC -: IPC stands for Indian Penal Code, which is a set of laws in India that tells what actions are crimes and their punishments.
IT Act -: The IT Act is a law in India that deals with crimes related to computers and the internet.
Rights of Persons with Disability Act -: This is a law in India that protects the rights of people who have disabilities, making sure they are treated fairly.
Custodial Interrogation -: Custodial interrogation is when the police keep someone in custody (like in jail) to ask them questions about a crime.
Integrity of the Examination Process -: Integrity of the examination process means making sure that the exam is fair and honest, without cheating or unfair advantages.
