Suspended India Administrative Services (IAS) Puja Khedkar on Thursday (August 29) got relief as Delhi High Court extended interim protection from arrest till September 5. The judge has also deferred hearing on Khedkar's anticipatory bail plea to September 5. The hearing was deferred after Delhi Police requested more time to go through rejoinder filed by Khedkar. The police also sought more time to file fresh status report.
Puja Khedkar has been suspended by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) after it was revealed that she misused Other Backward Classes (OBC) classes and Physically Handicapped (PH) quotas as she became IAS officer. In a rejoinder filed in the court Khedkar has argued that UPSC does not have power to disqualify her. UPSC administers the civil services examination.
The Delhi High Court has already sent notices to the Delhi Police and UPSC about Puja Khedkar's anticipatory bail. The court has instructed the investigators to not arrest her immediately while the matter is being considered by the court.
Previously, a trial court had denied bail to Khedkar but Delhi High Court has observed that the decision lacks substantial discussion.
The Puja Khedkar saga
Puja Khedkar came to limelight after Pune District Collector Suhas Diwase wrote to his seniors requesting her transfer from his office. Puja Khedkar was deputed to the office as part of her training before becoming an IAS officer. Diwase had said that Khedkar was demanding benefits not usually granted to a trainee IAS officer.
What appeared in initially to be a disciplinary issue soon snowballed into a full scandal as it was revealed that Puja Khedkar misused OBC and PH quotas. Matters soon became worse when videos of her mother aiming gun at farmers and other people surfaced online. Khedkar's training was halted and she was subsequently suspended by the UPSC.
