NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Thursday dismissed the

anticipatory bail

plea of Puja Khedar, an IAS trainee officer whose candidature was cancelled by the UPSC on Wednesday in the backdrop of alleged cheating and forgery cases.
The UPSC found

Puja Khedkar

of violating rules and debarred her from all the future exams and selections. “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 cancelled and she has also been debarred permanently from all the future Examinations/Selections of the UPSC,” the government said in a statement.
UPSC also said that in lone case of Khedkar, it 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 affirmed that it is in the process of further strengthening the SOP to ensure that such a case does not recur in the future.
What was the controversy?

Puja Khedekar, 34, had come under intense media scrutiny following allegations of demanding a separate office and official car, along with the unauthorised use of a beacon on her private Audi car. Initially stationed in Pune, Khedkar was transferred to Washim by the Pune district collector amidst the controversy.
However, her troubles did not end there. The government had subsequently put her ‘district training program’ on hold, summoning her back to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie for “necessary action.” Khedkar, who was under investigation for the authenticity of her disability and OBC certificates, claims she has become a victim of misinformation and “fake news.”