Delhi HC extends interim protection from arrest to Puja Khedkar till Sept 5

The Delhi high court on Thursday extended interim protection from arrest granted to suspended probationary Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar in a case registered against her for fraudulently availing attempts in the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC) examination beyond the permissible limit by faking her identity, till September 5.

A bench of Justice Subramonium Prasad extended the protection after the counsel for Delhi Police sought time to file certain documents to prove that Khedkar had committed forgery.

Advocate Sanjay Lao, representing the Delhi Police said that pursuant to its August 21 status report, the police had documents which showed Khedkar had committed forgery and sought time to place the same on record.

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Considering the contention, the court fixed September 5 as the next date of hearing.

“Mr Lao, counsel for Delhi Police, prays time for 3 days to file certain documents. List next Thursday. Interim order to continue till the next date of hearing,” the court said in its order.

Khedkar had approached the high court seeking pre-arrest bail in the case registered against her.

Khedkar had approached the Delhi high court against the city court’s order refusing to grant her anticipatory bail.

The city court, while denying bail to her on August 1, had noted that her custodial interrogation was required to unearth the whole conspiracy since she had not only cheated and defrauded the UPSC but also snatched the lawful rights of eligible aspirants with benchmark disabilities.

In her petition to the high court, Khedkar has claimed that the case against her registered by the Delhi police is based on false, improbable, and impossible facts. The petition underscored that the allegations in the first information report (FIR) do not substantiate the essential elements of the offence alleged against her.

Khedkar has been accused of faking her identity to get more attempts in the UPSC examination than the number of attempts already allotted and has been charged with a commission of an offense punishable under Sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) Indian Penal Code; 66D Information Technology Act, and 89 and 91 Rights of Persons with Disability Act, 2016.