The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) informed the Delhi High Court that it will communicate within two days its order cancelling former probationary Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar’s candidature to her. Noting the submissions of UPSC, Justice Jyoti Singh disposed of Khedkar’s plea challenging the Commission’s press release stating that her candidature has been dismissed.
“The petition is disposed of granting liberty to the petitioner to approach the appropriate forum in accordance with law. It is made clear that this court has neither entered into nor expressed any opinion on the merits of the case and the filing of the present petition will not come in the way of the appropriate forum in adjudicating the issue on merits,” the court said.
The court asked Khedkar to give her address to the UPSC, and said the order be supplied to her physically and electronically. It also said that for other reliefs like challenge to the cancellation order, Khedkar will have to go to the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). During the hearing, senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for Khedkar, said the cancellation order was never communicated to her and she came to know about it only through the press release.
On being asked by the court as to why she has not approached CAT with her challenge, Khedkar’s lawyer said since she was not served with the official order by UPSC, the plea was moved before the high court impugning the press release. Senior advocate Naresh Kaushik, representing UPSC, said the order will be communicated by the Commission to Khedkar within two days on her email id as well as her last known address.
On July 31, the UPSC cancelled Khedkar’s candidature and debarred her from future exams. She was accused of ‘misrepresenting information’ in her application for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2022. Khedkar was also accused of cheating and wrongly availing of OBC and disability quota benefits.
On August 1, a trial court here had denied her anticipatory bail, saying these are serious allegations that “require a thorough investigation”.
