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Puja Khedkar case: UPSC examined data of 15,000 candidates since 2009. What it found
The UPSC said a show cause notice was issued to Puja Khedkar for "fraudulently" availing attempts beyond the permissible limit in the examination.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has cancelled the provisional candidature of controversial IAS officer Puja Khedkar after she failed to respond to a show cause notice for fraudulently availing exam attempts beyond the permissible limit by faking her identity. The UPSC also barred Puja Khedkar from all future examinations as she was found guilty of acting in contravention of the provisions of the Civil Service Examination (CSE)-2022 Rules.
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Against the backdrop of Khedkar's case, the UPSC also reviewed the data for over 15,000 candidates recommended for the civil service examinations from 2009 to 2023 and didn't find any other candidate to have attempted exams beyond the permissible limit under the CSE Rules.
“In the lone case of Ms. Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of the UPSC could not detect her number of attempts primarily due to the fact that she changed not only her name but also her parents’ name,” the Commission said, adding that it is working to strengthen the standard operating procedure to prevent such case.
Puja Khedkar obtained disability certificate despite physiotherapist's ‘no'
Questions were raised about the credibility of a constitutional body like UPSC –responsible for the direct recruitment of officers to the All India Services and the Central Civil Services through examinations – following Puja Khedkar's case.
On July 20, Amitabh Kant, former NITI Aayog chief and India’s G-20 sherpa, flagged the allegations of "several cases of fraud" through UPSC for entry to civil services.
“All such cases must be fully investigated and the sternest action taken. Selection on basis of competence and integrity should never get compromised,” he wrote on X.
Expressing concern over alleged fraudulent activities related to disability reservations in the UPSC, Kant also suggested a review of these quotas.
Former Finance Secretary Arvind Mayaram wrote on X, “It is absolutely imperative to restore the rigour, transparency and credibility of the selection process…IAS selection must be the toughest and cleanest system.”
