On Wednesday, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) announced the cancellation of Puja Khedkar’s provisional candidature for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2022. Khedkar has also been permanently barred from all future UPSC examinations and selections.
This decision follows an earlier show cause notice issued on July 18, which accused Khedkar of fraudulently exceeding the permissible number of attempts by falsifying her identity. Khedkar was initially given until July 25 to respond but requested an extension until August 4 to gather necessary documents. The UPSC granted an extension until July 30, clearly stating that this would be the final opportunity for her to submit a response. She was informed that no further extensions would be granted and that any failure to meet the deadline would result in further action without consideration of additional references from her.
Despite the extension, Khedkar failed to submit her explanation within the allotted time. The UPSC reviewed the available records and found her actions to be in violation of the CSE 2022 rules. Consequently, her provisional candidature has been canceled, and she is permanently debarred from all future UPSC exams.
In light of this case, the UPSC has reviewed data from over 15,000 recommended candidates from 2009 to 2023 to assess the number of attempts made by each. The commission found no other instances of candidates exceeding the allowed number of attempts, aside from Khedkar’s case. The UPSC’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) had not detected Khedkar’s multiple attempts because she had changed both her name and her parents’ names. The UPSC is now working on strengthening the SOP to prevent similar issues in the future.
Meanwhile, Puja Khedkar has sought anticipatory bail from Delhi’s Patiala House Court. The court has reserved its order on her plea following an FIR filed against her for allegedly using a false identity to fraudulently increase her attempts. Khedkar has maintained her innocence, arguing that she has been wrongly accused and asserting that no prima facie offense is evident from the FIR.
