By Kavita Mistry 
New Delhi:
The Supreme Court has allowed anticipatory bail for Puja Khedkar, the ex-IAS trainee officer who made headlines last year over claims that she lied about physical disabilities, changed her surname and forged a backward class certificate to clear the competitive civil services exam.
This means that should Ms Khedkar be arrested as part of the Delhi Police’s investigation, she must then be released on bail, on condition of providing a cash surety of Rs 35,000.
In the meantime, she has been warned not to interfere with the investigation in any way, including trying to influence witnesses or tamper with material on record.
In addition, tough questions were also asked of a November 2024 judicial order – from the Delhi High Court – that had denied her bail; the High Court had ruled then that Puja Khedkar’s actions, prima facie, were meant to deceive and that her steps were part of ‘a larger conspiracy’.
However, in its ruling Tuesday afternoon, the Supreme Court rejected the Delhi High Court’s conclusion that Ms Khedkar had not cooperated with the investigating authorities.
‘She Hasn’t Committed Murder’
“What is the meaning of ‘not cooperating’?” Justice BV Nagarathana asked, “She has not committed a murder… this is not a NDPS (the anti-narcotics law) offence. She will cooperate.”
Earlier, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for Delhi Police, argued against releasing Ms Khedkar, saying the cops needed continued custody to uncover details of the conspiracy.
“We have found this is a scam which may involve persons involved in giving certificates, etc. We want to investigate whether this is an isolated case or there is a larger number of cases.”
The court had replied that while the source from which Ms Khedkar got forged certificates needed to be revealed, she did not necessarily have to be kept in custody.
Delhi High Court Questioned
This is the second time the Supreme Court has asked questions of the Delhi High Court’s order refusing relief for Ms Khedkar; the first was in January, when it said, “Having regard to nature of offences… bearing in mind circumstances… this is a fit case for grant of anticipatory bail.”
Until now the Supreme Court had given Ms Khedkar interim protection from arrest; passed in January, the order was extended in the last hearing in this matter, which was on March 18.
In that hearing Justices Nagarathna and SC Sharma had pointed out to Delhi Police, which is investigating this case, that Ms Khedkar had filed an affidavit confirming she would cooperate.
High Court Had Denied Bail
In December last year Ms Khedkar was denied anticipatory bail by the High Court, which declared the charges against her – which include forgery and cheating – a “classic example of fraud committed not only an authority but also the nation at large”.
In a significant mention, the court also indicated “a high possibility family members may have colluded with unknown powerful persons in order to get the certificates…”, possibly expanding the investigation to include government officials and departments.
READ | “Took Exam 12 Times, Don’t Consider 7 Of Those”: Puja Khedkar To Court
In her arguments then, Ms Khedkar doubled down on physical disability claims – she has a Maharashtra hospital certificate diagnosing her with an “old ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear with left knee instability”.
She also claimed only her middle name had changed and argued “therefore, there is no truth in the allegation that there has been a major change in my name”. “UPSC verified my identity through biometric data… did not find my documents (to be) fake or incorrect…” she argued.
READ | Puja Khedkar’s Fraud Not Only Against Us But Public Too: UPSC To Court
The UPSC, meanwhile, argued Ms Khedkar committed a fraud against the public, and her custody is needed for the cops to unearth a fraud that would have needed help from others.
What Was Puja Khedkar Accused Of?
Ms Khedkar is accused of submitting fake certificates to claim privileges reserved for candidates from Other Backward Classes and those with physical disabilities.
These privileges included extra attempts to clear the IAS exams.
How Puja Khedkar Was Caught
In early September the union government sacked Ms Khedkar, who has denied all charges against her and claimed she is being targeted since she filed a sexual harassment against her senior.
This was a month after the UPSC cancelled her selection.
READ | UPSC Cancels Puja Khedkar’s IAS Selection, Blacklists Her For Life
Ms Khedkar’s troubles began in June when Pune Collector Suhas Diwase wrote to Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik, flagging the trainee IAS officer’s demands for perks such as a car, staff and an office that she was not entitled to during her two-year probation.
READ | Trainee IAS Officer Who Used Siren On Car Claimed Mental Disability
She was transferred to Washim. And, in the following, her IAS selection came under the spotlight. It was found she had availed relaxed criteria for OBC candidates and persons with disabilities.
READ | “Regret To Inform…”: Trainee IAS Officer’s Disability Request Was Denied
It then came to light that her father, a former Maharashtra government officer, had property to the tune of Rs 40 crore and she did not qualify for the OBC non-creamy layer tag. It also emerged she skipped a mandatory health check-up at a government facility to confirm her exemption for disability.
NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.