HC issues notice to Khedkar over UPSC plea for perjury proceedings against her
A bench of Justice Jyoti Singh sought former probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar’s response within three weeks and listed the matter for hearing next on November 26
The Delhi high court on Thursday issued a notice to former probationary Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar over the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) plea seeking perjury proceedings against her for allegedly making false statements regarding its press release on the cancellation of her candidature and filing a false affidavit in court.
A bench of Justice Jyoti Singh sought Khedkar’s response within three weeks and listed the application for hearing next on November 26.
Khedkar was discharged from service on September 7 days after the UPSC issued a press release on July 31 announcing the cancellation of her candidature after she failed to respond to its show cause notice for fraudulently availing attempts in the civil service examination beyond the permissible limit by faking her identity.
In its application, the UPSC claimed Khedkar in her plea for quashing the commission’s press release said that she could not be disqualified as the decision was not officially communicated to her and she had not been granted time to respond. The commission said the decision was conveyed to her via registered email ID on July 31. It added that Khedkar filed a false affidavit citing the commission’s July 31 press release on July 28 when it was yet to be issued. “This conduct of the petitioner in filing a false affidavit also amounts to contempt as well as perjury for which appropriate orders need to be passed by this Hon’ble court by adopting the appropriate process and procedure detailed in the provisions of law.”
The UPSC plea said Khedkar made false statements for favourable orders from the court. It said making false averments on oath to obtain favourable orders is a very serious offence undermining the foundation of the legal system.
UPSC’s lawyer, Naresh Kaushik, on Thursday urged the court to take a “serious view” regarding her conduct. Kaushik said Khedkar even gave false information to her lawyer that she was not served with the commission’s order about the cancellation of her candidature and had learnt it from the press release. Khedkar’s lawyer submitted her client was unaware of the email.
Khedkar was earlier booked under the Indian Penal Code’s Sections 420 (cheating), 468 (forgery for cheating), 471 (forged document), and 120B (criminal conspiracy) and Information Technology Act, and Rights of Persons with Disability Act.
Khedkar had exhausted all the permissible attempts available for Persons With Benchmark Disability and Other Backward Class candidates (nine attempts) by 2020. She was not eligible to appear for the exam in 2021. Khedkar allegedly changed her name in 2021 and appeared in 2021, 2022, and 2023 by making “incorrect or false statements regarding the number of attempts already availed”.