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Journalism of Courage
THE UNION Public Service Commission (UPSC) said Friday that it has registered an FIR against IAS probationer Puja Khedkar for allegedly “faking her identity to fraudulently avail attempts beyond permissible limit” in the civil services examination. The Commission has also issued her a showcause notice for cancellation of her selection and debarment from future examinations.
Khedkar, 32, who joined Pune Collectorate as part of her probationary training in June 2024, is also facing allegations of misusing quotas under Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Persons With Benchmark Disabilities (PwBD) to clear the civil services cxamination.
Earlier this week, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) put her “district training programme” on hold, and called her back to the academy from Washim where she was continuing her training after being transferred from Pune.
A report submitted by Pune Collector Suhas Diwase about her demands for privileged treatment had set in motion the current controversy which has now threatened her career and led to criminal prosecution. Her mother and father have also been booked by police over an unrelated incident from June 2023.
The UPSC said it had conducted an investigation and found that Khedkar had violated rules.
“The UPSC has conducted a detailed and thorough investigation into the misdemeanour of Ms Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, a provisionally recommended candidate of the Civil Services Examination-2022. From this investigation, it has been revealed that she 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 names, her photograph/signature, her email ID, mobile number and address,” said the UPSC in a statement.
“The UPSC has, therefore, initiated a series of actions against her, including criminal prosecution by filing a First Information Report (FIR) with the police authorities and has issued a showcause notice for cancellation of her candidature of the Civil Services Examination-2022/ debarment from future examinations/selections, in accordance with the Rules of the Civil Services Examination-2022,” said the statement.
The Commission said that in fulfilling its constitutional mandate, it conducts all its processes with the highest possible order of due diligence without any compromise. It also ensured the sanctity and integrity of all its examination processes with the utmost fairness and strict observance of rules.
