Former IAS trainee Pooja Khedkar has responded to the claims of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) against her. Khedkar has filed her reply before the Delhi High Court. She says that UPSC has no power to disqualify her candidature. Pooja has said in her reply that once a candidate is selected and appointed as a Probationary Officer, UPSC’s power to disqualify the candidate’s candidature ends.
Pooja Khedkar has told the court that now only the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) of the Central Government can take action against her. She has claimed that there has been no change in her name or surname from 2012-2022 nor has she provided any wrong information about herself to the UPSC. Pooja Khedkar has said that UPSC verified my identity through biometric data, the commission did not find any document submitted by me to be fake or fabricated. She has said, ‘My educational certificate, Aadhaar card, date of birth and all other details including personal information remain consistent in the Detailed Application Form (DAF).
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UPSC and DoPT had verified the identity
Pooja Khedkar has said in her reply filed in the Delhi High Court, ‘UPSC has verified my identity through biometric data (cyber and fingerprint) collected during the personality test in 2019, 2021 and 2022. Then all the documents were verified by the Commission during the personality test on May 26, 2022. I also submitted affidavits and official gazettes to correct the discrepancies in my name and certificates and complied with the UPSC’s request for declaration of PWD (Person with Benchmark Disability), caste and father’s name. Therefore, it is wrong on the part of the Commission to say that I gave a wrong name.’
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She has said that all the necessary verifications were also done about me by the DoPT. According to the DoPT, the medical board constituted by AIIMS conducted my medical test. The medical board found my disability to be up to 47% and much more than the 40% disability required for the PwBD category. Pooja has told the court that none of the documents presented by her before the UPSC are fake or fabricated and have been issued by competent authorities. She has said, ‘I have not provided any wrong information about myself to the UPSC or have not committed fraud, as alleged against me in the FIR lodged with the Delhi Crime Branch on July 19, 2024.’
What are the allegations against former trainee IAS Pooja Khedkar?
Pooja Khedkar was a trainee IAS of the 2023 batch. She got the 841st rank in the Civil Services Exam-2022. Her training was going on at the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) in Mussoorie since June 2024. She is accused of providing wrong information about herself to UPSC to avail the benefit of reservation. She is accused of giving wrong information about her age and parents, giving the civil services exam more times than the prescribed limit by changing her identity, submitting fake caste and disability certificates. UPSC found Pooja Khedkar guilty of fraud in its internal investigation and canceled her selection on July 31, 202.
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In this case, an FIR has been lodged against her by UPSC and the sword of arrest is hanging over her. Pooja Khedkar had first reached Patiala House Court in Delhi demanding a stay on her arrest. But the court refused to grant her relief on August 1, 2022. After this, she filed a petition in the Delhi High Court on August 8, 2022. On August 12, the Delhi High Court had imposed an interim stay on the arrest of the former trainee IAS. She has sought anticipatory bail from the court. The next hearing in this case is now to be held on August 29.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)