Delhi High Court extends interim protection against arrest of IAS officer Pooja Khedkar by eight days

The Delhi High Court extended suspended trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar's interim protection against arrest on Wednesday, August 21. The extension will remain effective until August 29, eight days from today.

Puja Khedkar, a former IAS officer trainee, was accused of falsifying and misrepresenting facts in her application to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

ANI reported that the court instructed the investigation agency not to arrest Khedkar while the matter was still being considered, noting that immediate arrest is not necessary.

Justice Subramonium Prasad of the Delhi High Court has further deferred the hearing on Pooja Khedkar's anticipatory bail plea to August 29, 2024. The accused's lawyer, Siddharth Luthra, also requested more time to review the UPSC's response to the anticipatory bail plea.

Delhi High Court issues notice to UPSC

On the last day of the hearing, the Delhi High Court issued notices to the Delhi Police and Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) regarding Puja Khedkar's anticipatory bail plea.

The top court had earlier observed that the trial court's order denying Puja Khedkar's bail lacked substantial discussion and merely briefly mentioned the Public Prosecutor's claim about the involvement of others. The High Court has instructed the police not to arrest Khedkar until Friday, which is pending further proceedings.

‘Mastermind’ Puja Khedkar

UPSC had argued that Puja Khedkar is a “mastermind”, claiming that her actions would not have been possible without the help from others, hinting at more minds connected to the case.

Puja Khedkar's plea in the Delhi High Court follows last week's dismissal of her plea by Delhi's Patiala House Court.

The trial court judge believed that a thorough investigation of Puja Khedkar's activities was needed to unearth the conspiracy and identify others involved in the case.

"In the present facts and circumstances, I am of the considered opinion that it is not a fit case to exercise discretionary powers of anticipatory bail in favour of the accused," Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala said, reported ANI.

The court further held that to attain the misrepresentation, Khedkar had prepared various documents to support her claim. The conspiracy had been hatched in a pre-planned manner. It also stated that the accused alone could not have executed the conspiracy without the assistance of some outsider or insider.

(with agency inputs)