The Supreme Court has directed Ex-IAS trainee Puja Khedkar to submit her response to the fraud allegations framed against her by April 15.
The court emphasized that a candidate who has exhausted all attempts as an abled applicant cannot seek additional attempts under the disabled category.
The Supreme Court has instructed former IAS probationary officer Puja Khedkar to submit her response by April 15 regarding the Delhi Police’s allegations that she fraudulently used quota benefits to make multiple attempts at the Civil Services Examination (CSE).
Court’s Observations
A bench comprising Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice S.C. Sharma stressed that once a candidate has exhausted their attempts as an abled applicant, they cannot claim additional attempts under a different category. Ms. Khedkar has been asked to justify her stance in response to claims that she was involved in a broader fraudulent scheme.
Ms. Khedkar argued that she still had remaining attempts under the disability category. However, the court firmly asserted, “You cannot have separate attempts for abled and disabled categories.”
Extended Protection from Arrest
Earlier, on January 15, 2025, the Supreme Court had granted Ms. Khedkar protection from arrest or any coercive action. This protection has now been extended until the next hearing.
