On Friday, the Supreme Court of India extended its interim order which is protecting former probationary Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar from being arrested, who is accused of taking advantage of extra chances in the civil services examination. Delhi Police had sought time to respond to her anticipatory bail plea, and only then was the extension granted.
The bench comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and SC Sharma asked Khedkar to fully cooperate with the ongoing investigation and adjourned the hearing to March 18. The Delhi Police’s representation that the allegations against Khedkar are serious was represented by Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, who informed the court that the police needed some more time to file a response.
Khedkar should not misuse the court’s protective order, and she may seek anticipatory bail later based upon her cooperation, Raju warned further. The Supreme Court had directed no coercive action against her on January 15, but that protection ended on Friday.
Senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, who was arguing on behalf of Khedkar, said that his client would cooperate in the investigation but the police did not have her yet before extending the previous order. But he made clear that Khedkar’s career was on the line because she lost her job and, as a single woman, faced harsh effects.
Later, in December 2023, the Delhi High Court dismissed her pre-arrest bail plea, arguing that she was just trying to deceive the Union Public Service Commission of having prepared answer writes for the civil services exam. On July 31, 2023, the UPSC cancelled her candidature for suppression of crucial information.
The proceedings against Khedkar will take a course that could be determined by the future of the Supreme Court hearing scheduled for March 18.
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