UPSC Cancels Puja Khedkar's Provisional Candidature, Imposes Lifetime Ban on Future Exams

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Wednesday cancelled the provisional candidature of controversial civil services junior officer Puja Khedkar and barred her permanently from appearing in all future exams and selections, officials said.  A Show Cause Notice (SCN) was issued by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to 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. She was to submit her response to the SCN by 25th July, 2024. However, she requested for further time till 04th August, 2024 so that she could gather the necessary documents for her response.

The decision comes after a thorough review of Khedkar's eligibility and the circumstances surrounding her application.Puja Khedkar has been accused of exploiting the disability and Other Backward Class (non-creamy layer) quotas to gain eligibility for the civil services examination.The UPSC's announcement follows a thorough investigation into Khedkar's qualifications and the context of her application.According to an official UPSC statement, "After carefully reviewing the available records, UPSC found her guilty of violating the CSE-2022 Rules. Consequently, her provisional candidature for the CSE-2022 has been revoked, and she has been permanently barred from all future UPSC Examinations and Selections."

UPSC panel had also revealed that a Show Cause Notice (SCN) was issued to Puja Khedkar on July 18 for allegedly fraudulently availing attempts beyond the permissible limit set by examination rules by falsifying her identity. Following the issuance of the notice, the deadline for Khedkar to respond was extended to July 30, with the UPSC making it clear that this would be the "final opportunity" and that "no further extension in time" would be granted. "Despite the extension in time allowed to her, she failed to submit her explanation within the prescribed time," the panel stated. Khedkar has also been booked by the Delhi Police Crime Branch for allegedly misusing the disability and Other Backward Class (non-creamy layer) quotas to qualify for the prestigious civil services examination. To investigate the claims, a team led by the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) was assigned to gather documents from various government departments.