Puja Khedkar will Receive Copy of Order from UPSC On Cancelling Her IAS Candidature, Delhi High Court is Informed

On Wednesday, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) informed the Delhi High Court that it will send a copy of the order to Puja Khedkar on cancelling her Indian Administrative Service (IAS) candidature. Considering the arguments of the UPSC, Justice Jyoti Singh disposed of Khedkar’s plea challenging the Commission’s press release stating that his candidature had been rejected.

The court said, “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 has ordered Pooja Khedkar, to give her present address to UPSE, and has said the order of cancelling her IAS candidature will be sent to her both physically and electronically. Additionally, it stated that Khedkar would have to go to the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) in order to seek other reliefs, such as a challenge to the cancellation order. Senior advocate Indira Jaising, who was representing Khedkar, stated during the hearing that she was not informed of the cancellation order and learned about it only from the press release.

When the court questioned Khedkar about why she had not gone to CAT with her challenge, her lawyer responded that she was not given any shot of official orders from the UPSC side, the high court heard the plea, casting doubt on the news release. UPSC’s senior lawyer Naresh Kaushik stated that Khedkar will receive notice of the order by email and last known address from the Commission in two days.

On July 31, 2024, the UPSC cancelled the IAS candidature of Puja Khedkar and also prohibited her from future exams. She is being caught charging ‘misrepresenting information’ in the application forms for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2022. Also, accused of declaring herself an OBC candidate and having disability quota benefits. Her anticipatory bail was denied by this trial court on August 1, stating that these are serious claims that “require a thorough investigation”.