How Puja Khedkar ’fraudulently’ availed UPSC attempts beyond limit: ’Not only changed her name but also...’

The controversial case of Puja Khedkar took a major turn on Wednesday as the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) cancelled her provisional candidature and permanently debarred her from all future exams/selections. Khedkar was a provisionally recommended candidate for the Civil Services Examination 2022 (CSE-2022).

Puja Khedkar, a 2023-batch IAS officer, was accused of misusing power and privileges by demanding perks and facilities she was not entitled to while serving on probation in Pune.

Khedkar was accused of fraudulently availing attempts beyond the permissible limit in the Examination Rules by faking her identity. A criminal case was registered against her in Delhi last week for allegedly "misrepresenting and falsifying facts".

UPSC explains how Puja Khedkar 'fraudulently' availed exam attempts beyond the limit

In a press release on Wednesday, the UPSC said that an examination of available records found Khedkar "guilty of violating CSE-2022 Rules".

Informing about the development in Puja Khedkar's case, the UPSC said it “has examined the available records carefully and found her guilty of acting in contravention of the provisions of the CSE-2022 Rules.”

The UPSC also examined the available data of more than 15,000 recommended candidates for the CSEs from 2009 to 2023. "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 statement read.

The Commission added that in the lone case of Puja Khedkar, “the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of the UPSC could not detect her number of attempts primarily due to the fact that she changed not only her name but also her parents' name.”

"The UPSC is in the process of further strengthening the SOP to ensure that such a case does not recur in the future," it said.

The UPSC decided to cancel Khedkar's candidature after she failed to submit her explanation within the prescribed time.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) alleges that Puja Khedkar changed not only her name but also her parents' names in the application, which is why the system couldn't detect the malpractice.

"UPSC is in the process of further strengthening the SOP to ensure that such a case does not recur in the future.

(With inputs from agencies)