UPSC Cancels Puja Khedkar's Candidature, bars her from future exams

The selection of Puja Khedkar as a trainee IAS officer has been canceled and she has been barred from taking the entrance exam for life after the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) found her guilty of faking her identity to take the exam multiple times. 

Puja Khedkar is accused of misusing the disability and Other Backward Class (non-creamy layer) quotas to secure her candidature in the civil services exam. The decision by UPSC comes after a detailed review of Puja Khedkar's eligibility and the circumstances surrounding her application.

The UPSC has said in a statement that Ms Khedkar has been found guilty of violating rules of the Civil Services Examination. "A Show Cause Notice (SCN) was issued by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to Ms. Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, a provisionally recommended candidate of the Civil Services Examination-2022 (CSE-2022) on 18th July, 2024 for fraudulently availing attempts beyond the permissible limit provided for in the Examination Rules by faking her identity," it said.

It added that the 34-year-old was to submit her response to the notice by July 25, but she requested time till August 4. The UPSC granted her time till July 30 and made it clear that it was the "final opportunity" and "no further extension in time" would be allowed.

She was also told that if no response is received by the deadline, UPSC would take action. "Despite the extension in time allowed to her, she failed to submit her explanation within the prescribed time," the panel said in the statement.

"The UPSC has examined the available records carefully and found her guilty of acting in contravention of the provisions of the CSE-2022 Rules. Her provisional candidature for the CSE-2022 has been canceled and she has also been debarred permanently from all the future Examinations/Selections of the UPSC," it said.