Delhi High Court grants Puja Khedkar interim protection from arrest

The Delhi High Court on Monday granted interim protection from arrest to the former trainee Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar who is accused of fraudulently clearing the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) examination..Justice Subramonium Prasad granted the interim relief to Khedkar till August 21, while issuing notice to the Delhi Police and UPSC on her petition for anticipatory bail.During the hearing of the case, the court remarked that the trial court while denying relief to Khedkar got bogged down by the allegations against her and did not properly deal with the bail plea."The judgement of the trial court goes on the offence committed and holds that the offence has been committed but there is hardly any discussion as to why bail sought cannot be granted. Though I am not sitting in appeal, but except from one paragraph about the PP [public prosecutor] submission that there are others involved and conspiracy is to be unearthed, there is no other discussion on bail," Justice Prasad remarked..Justice Prasad added that in big matters, courts get embroiled in the allegations and, at times. they lose sight of the relief being sought before it."What happens in these big matters is we get so much embroiled in the arguments that we lose sight of the relief sought... we lose sight of the purpose for which bail was filed," the Single Judge said.The UPSC and Delhi Police told the Court that the case involves a well planned conspiracy and the probe is still on. "This is a case where mental faculties have been abused in a classical manner... There are multiple concincidences and this is well planned crime," Senior Advocate Naresh Kaushik for UPSC said. The Bench asked the police and the UPSC to explain in its reply the alleged conspiracy and why Khedkar's custody is required. "As of now, it does not seem to me that her immediate custody is required," he added. .A Delhi court had on August 1 denied bail to the former trainee IAS and also directed the Delhi Police to investigate whether any other persons had have availed benefits of quotas under OBC and Persons with Disabilities (PwD) without entitlement.Khedkar is accused of fraudulently availing the reservation of Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Persons with Benchmark Disabilities to clear the UPSC exam.The UPSC earlier this month cancelled Khedkar's selection and permanently debarred her from all future exams and selections finding her “guilty of violating CSE-2022 Rules”..The Delhi Police lodged the case against Khedkar on a complaint filed by the UPSC.According to an investigation done by the UPSC, Khedkar had also "fraudulently availed attempts beyond the permissible limit under the Examination Rules by faking her identity by way of changing her name, her father's & mother's name, her photograph/ signature, her email ID, mobile number and address."