Former IAS trainee Puja Khedkar says UPSC can’t cancel her candidature

The rejoinder filed by Puja Khedkar on August 27 came a day before the Delhi High Court on Thursday extended the interim relief against her arrest.

Former IAS trainee officer Puja Khedkar (File Photo)

In a rejoinder filed by former IAS trainee officer Puja Khedkar in her plea seeking anticipatory bail before the Delhi High Court, Khedkar has submitted that after her selection and appointment as a probationer, UPSC “ceases the power to disqualify her candidature and DoPT (Department of Personnel and Training) alone can take action under the All India Services Act 1954.”

The rejoinder filed on August 27 came a day before the Delhi High Court on Thursday extended the interim relief against her arrest until September 5, when the court is expected to take up the matter. The court adjourned the matter on Thursday after the respondents sought time to bring further material on the court’s record.

Khedkar has further submitted in her reply that she was selected to the Indian Administrative Service based on merit in the category of Persons with Benchmark Disability (PwBD) in her fifth attempt against the nine attempts available under the category. She also said her prior attempts from 2012 to 2017 were not under the same category. Khedkar has argued that the attempts under the two categories thus “cannot be mixed up to disentitle” her as a disabled candidate.

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Govt cites ‘social justice’ to cancel lateral entry ad, 6 yrs ago it structured scheme to avoid reservation, A Delhi court on August 1 dismissed Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea, accused of fraudulently clearing the Civil Services Examination held by the Union Public Service Commission. , Puja Khedkar

Impressing that all documents she had submitted were verified by authorities and that none of the documents produced are forged, fabricated or created and are issued by the competent authorities, Khedkar has further stressed she has not misrepresented or cheated as has been alleged by UPSC in the FIR before the Delhi Police Crime Branch.

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A Delhi court on August 1 dismissed Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea, accused of fraudulently clearing the Civil Services Examination held by the Union Public Service Commission. However, the Delhi High Court on August 12 granted Khedkar interim protection from arrest which has continued so far.

Sohini Ghosh

Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express. Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court Professional Profile Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express. Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare). Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others. She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020. With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles: High-Profile Case Coverage She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots. She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy. Signature Style Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond. She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers. Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system. X (Twitter): @thanda_ghosh ... Read More

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