Puja Khedkar case: Indian government sacks controversial officer from IAS
File photo of Puja Khedkar.
The Indian government on Saturday (Sep 7) discharged Puja Khedkar from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) with immediate effect. The move came a month after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on July 31 cancelled her candidature and barred her from appearing in any future examination.
Khedkar has been accused of furnishing false information in her UPSC exam application to get reservation benefits. She allegedly availed other Backward Classes (OBC) and disability quota benefits by misrepresenting documents.
On September 5, Khedkar had approached the Delhi High Court claiming that she was willing to undergo examination at All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) after police stated that one of the disability certificates given by her was “forged and fabricated.”
The UPSC had earlier found Khedkar guilty of faking her identity to take the exam multiple times.
Puja Khedkar’s case stirred a massive controversy over one of the most sought-after branches of government service in India.
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The UPSC perused data of more than 15,000 candidates following the revelations of inconsistencies in Khedkar’s application. The candidates reportedly cleared the IAS screening process between 2009 and 2023.
"After this detailed exercise, barring the case of Ms Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, no other candidate has been found to have availed more number of attempts than permitted under the CSE Rules," the UPSC had said, referring to the Civil Services Examination Rules.
UPSC receives 30 new complaints
Meanwhile, the UPSC has reportedly received 30 fresh complaints regarding candidates who got selected by allegedly misrepresenting their credentials following the Pooja Khedkar case.
The UPSC has transferred these complaints to the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), according to a report by the Economic Times.
Meanwhile, the UPSC has made changes to its software and protocols to prevent fraud involving name changes. According to the report, the system can now identify name changesoccurringbetween attempts.
(With inputs from agencies)