The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Wednesday cancelled.
The provisional candidature of controversial trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar and barred her permanently from appearing in all future exams conducted by the commission, officials said.
Puja Khedkar is accused of misusing the disability and Other Backward Class (non-creamy layer) quotas to secure her candidature in the civil services exam.
The announcement by UPSC comes after a detailed review of Puja Khedkar’s eligibility and the circumstances surrounding her application. The commission found her guilty of violating the rules of Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022.
“UPSC has examined the available records carefully and found her guilty of acting in contravention of the provisions of the CSE-2022 Rules. Her provisional candidature for the CSE-2022 has been cancelled and she has also been debarred permanently from all the future Examinations/Selections of the UPSC,” an official statement by UPSC read.
The UPSC panel, in its statement, also highlighted that a Show Cause Notice (SCN) was issued to Puja Khedkar on July 18 for fraudulently availing attempts beyond the permissible limit provided for in the examination rules by “faking her identity”.
However, the deadline was later extended by July 30 and the commission made it clear that it was the “final opportunity” and “no further extension in time” would be allowed.
“Despite the extension in time allowed to her, she failed to submit her explanation within the prescribed time,” the panel said.
Puja Khedkar was booked by the Delhi Police Crime Branch for misusing the disability and Other Backward Class (non-creamy layer) quotas to secure her candidature in the civil services exam.
A team led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) level of the Crime Branch was tasked to collect the documents from various government departments.
A case under section 420 (cheating), 464 (making a document in the name of a fictitious person), 465 (forgery) and 471 (passing off a forged document as genuine) of IPC and under sections 89 and 91 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act and 66D of the Information Technology Act was registered against her.
The 2023-batch IAS officer, previously serving as a probationary assistant collector at the Pune district collectorate, was transferred to Washim from Pune earlier this month amid allegations that she misrepresented herself under the physical disabilities category.
During her tenure in Pune, Puja Khedkar allegedly misused her power and privileges by demanding perks and facilities she was not entitled to. Even her mother, Manorama Khedkar, is currently in judicial custody in a criminal case linked to a land dispute.