The Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted former probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar the liberty to approach the appropriate forum to challenge the cancellation of her candidature by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). The UPSC has informed the Court that it will provide Khedkar with the official order canceling her candidature within two days.
Justice Jyoti Singh’s bench disposed of Khedkar’s plea, clarifying that it has not examined or expressed any opinion on the merits of the case. The court also stated that the filing of the petition will not impact the adjudication of the issue by the appropriate forum.
Advocate Indira Jaising, representing Khedkar, referenced a UPSC press release about the cancellation and highlighted Khedkar’s specific requests: the formal delivery of the cancellation order and the quashing of the press release. Naresh Kaushik, representing the UPSC, explained that the press release was issued because Khedkar’s whereabouts were unknown, serving as formal intimation regarding the cancellation.
Khedkar moved the Delhi High Court on Monday, challenging the UPSC’s decision to cancel her candidature. On July 31, the UPSC announced via a press statement that it had decided to cancel Khedkar’s provisional candidature due to accusations of cheating and forgery, which violated the CSE-2022 rules. Khedkar was also debarred from all future exams and selections by the UPSC.
The UPSC stated that Khedkar was given until 3:30 PM on July 30, 2024, to respond to a Show Cause Notice. Despite this final extension, Khedkar failed to submit her explanation within the prescribed time. Consequently, the UPSC cancelled her provisional candidature for the CSE-2022 and permanently debarred her from all future UPSC examinations and selections.