Puja Khedkar, a former IAS trainee officer who lost her position due to alleged misuse of authority, has contested her disqualification. In her response to the Delhi High Court regarding the UPSC's accusations, Khedkar contends that the Union Public Service Commission no longer has the authority to revoke her candidacy once she has been selected and appointed as a probationer.The Delhi High Court has extended interim protection from arrest for probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar until September 5 in the UPSC fraud case. This is the second extension, following an earlier order on August 21 that provided protection until August 29.

In July, the UPSC disqualified Khedkar from future exams and revoked her candidature after discovering she had fraudulently exceeded the allowed exam attempts by falsifying her identity. The commission also initiated criminal proceedings against her.

Khedkar is accused of manipulating her name and disability status to gain additional exam attempts beyond the permissible limit. The case has drawn attention to potential loopholes in the civil services examination process and raised questions about the integrity of candidate selection.

In her August 28 response to the Delhi High Court, Puja Khedkar denied allegations of document forgery and fraud. She argued that only the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has the authority to take action against her, not the UPSC. Khedkar contended that the UPSC lacks the power to disqualify her candidature once she was selected and appointed as a probationer. She is currently seeking anticipatory bail in the UPSC fraud case, challenging the commission's decision to cancel her candidature and bar her from future examinations.According to Khedkar, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) is the sole authority that can take action under the All India Services Act, 1954 and the Probationer Rules, as stipulated in Rule 19 of the Civil Services Examination 2022 Rules.

The UPSC revoked Puja Khedkar's provisional candidature on July 31 and banned her from future exams and selections. This decision followed findings that she misused her authority and violated CSE 2022 rules, including allegations of identity fraud. The action effectively ended her prospects in civil services examinations.

The UPSC revoked Khedkar's provisional candidature and initiated legal action against her for alleged fraud and forgery. In response, Khedkar challenged this decision in the Delhi High Court.

In her court submission, Khedkar denied manipulating her identity, stating her name remained consistent from 2012 to 2022 across all Detailed Application Forms (DAFs). She emphasized that the UPSC had verified her identity through biometric data during personality tests in 2019, 2021, and 2022, and had validated all her documents on May 26, 2022.

Until 2020-21, Khedkar participated in the examination under the OBC category as 'Puja Diliprao Khedkar'. In 2021-22, having exhausted her attempts, she applied under both OBC and PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities) quotas, using the name 'Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar'. She successfully cleared the exam, ranking 821st.

The UPSC's decision to disqualify Khedkar was based on findings that she misused her position and violated Civil Services Examination 2022 rules, including allegations of identity falsification. This led to her disqualification and a ban on her participation in future UPSC examinations or selections.

On July 31st, the UPSC nullified Khedkar's provisional candidacy and barred her from future examinations and selections. This decision followed findings that Khedkar had misused her authority and breached CSE 2022 rules, including allegations of identity falsification.

The UPSC subsequently filed criminal charges against Khedkar for fraud, cheating, and forgery. In response, Khedkar petitioned the Delhi High Court to contest the UPSC's cancellation of her candidacy. In her court submission, Khedkar denied any manipulation or misrepresentation of her name to the UPSC.

Up until 2020-21, Khedkar participated in the examination under the OBC category as 'Puja Diliprao Khedkar'. Having used up all her attempts, she applied for the 2021-22 exam under both OBC and PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities) quotas, using the name 'Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar'. She successfully passed the examination, securing rank 821.