UPSC Cancels Candidature Of Puja Khedkar, Debars Her From Future Exams

The Union Public Service Commission today cancelled controversial trainee officer Puja Khedkar‘s candidature and debarred her from all future exams. The developments come amid allegations of forging fake certificates to avail the advantages of the special category in the Civil Service Examination.

The IAS trainee was accused of misusing the disability and Other Backward Class (non-creamy layer) quotas to secure her candidature in the civil services exam.

Read Also: Puja Khedkar Faked Her Identity To Get Into The Civil Services: UPSC

In a statement issued by the UPSC, the central examination body said that it examined the available records carefully and found her guilty of acting in contravention of the provisions of the CSE-2022 Rules. “Her provisional candidature for the CSE-2022 has been cancelled, and she has also been debarred permanently from all the future examinations and selections of the UPSC,” the statement added.

The statement also noted that a Show Cause Notice (SCN) was issued to Puja Khedkar on July 18 in connection with the allegations of fraudulently availing attempts beyond the permissible limit. Though the panel extended deadline to submit explanation from Puja, she failed to respond within the prescribed time frame,  the panel added.

Read Also: Puja Khedkar’s Mother, Arrested Over Gun Video, Faces Attempt To Murder Charge

A team headed by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) of the Crime Branch was tasked to collect the documents from various government departments, and a case under section 420 (cheating), 464 (making a document in the name of a fictitious person), 465 (forgery) and 471 (passing off a forged document as genuine) of IPC and under sections 89 and 91 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act and 66D of the Information Technology Act was registered against her.