UPSC Bans Puja Khedkar for Life Over Identity Fraud in Civil Services Exam

The selection of Puja Khedkar as a trainee IAS officer has been annulled, and she has been permanently barred from future Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exams after being found guilty of faking her identity to take the exam multiple times.

According to the UPSC, Ms. Khedkar violated Civil Services Examination (CSE) rules by fraudulently exceeding the permissible number of attempts. A Show Cause Notice (SCN) was issued to her on July 18, 2024, highlighting her misuse of identity to bypass the rules.

Despite being granted an extension to respond, Ms. Khedkar failed to submit her explanation within the given timeframe. Consequently, her provisional candidature was canceled, and she was permanently debarred from all future UPSC exams and selections.

Identity Fraud: Puja Khedkar was found guilty of faking her identity to exceed the permissible attempts in the Civil Services Examination.

Permanent Ban: The UPSC has cancelled her provisional candidature and banned her for life from all future UPSC exams and selections.

Further Investigations: Her father’s wealth and her misuse of OBC and disability criteria have come under scrutiny, along with a video scandal involving her mother.

15000 candidates passings were reviewed

In the wake of this incident, the UPSC reviewed data from over 15,000 candidates who cleared the IAS screening process between 2009 and 2023. Ms. Khedkar was the only candidate found to have violated the permissible attempts by altering her name and her parents’ names. The UPSC is now working to strengthen its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to prevent such occurrences in the future.

The UPSC clarified that it performs only a preliminary check of certificates, assuming them to be genuine if issued by competent authorities. The detailed verification of these certificates is the responsibility of the designated authorities.

Downfall of Puja Khedkar

Ms. Khedkar’s issues began in June when Pune Collector Suhas Diwase reported her inappropriate demands for perks during her probation, leading to her transfer to Washim. Investigations revealed she had improperly used relaxed criteria for OBC candidates and persons with disabilities. It was discovered that her father, a former Maharashtra government officer, owned property worth 40 crores, disqualifying her from the OBC non-creamy layer tag. Additionally, she did not complete a mandatory health check-up to confirm her disability exemption.

The controversy escalated with the emergence of a video showing her sarpanch mother threatening people with a gun, leading to her mother’s arrest. Her father, Dilip Khedkar, is now being investigated for possessing assets disproportionate to his income.