The Supreme Court Wednesday granted anticipatory bail to ex-IAS probationer Puja Khedkar in a cheating case in which she was accused of wrongly availing disability and OBC quote benefits in civil services examination, news agency PTI reported.
“What is the grave crime she has committed? She is not a drug lord or a terrorist. She has not committed 302 (murder). She is not an NDPS offender. You should have a system or a software. You complete the investigation. She has lost everything and will not get a job anywhere,” an apex court bench comprising Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma observed.
While the counsel representing the Delhi Police vehemently opposed the bail to Khedkar, alleging that she was not cooperating in the investigation and that allegations against her were serious, the Supreme court bench noted “Bearing in mind the facts and circumstances of the case, this is a fit case where the Delhi High Court ought to have granted bail to the petitioner.”
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The bench however directed Khedkar to cooperate in the probe.
In her application for the 2022 UPSC examination, Khedkar had allegedly misrepresented information for availing reservation benefits. An FIR was registered against Khedkar in July 2024 under charges of forgery, cheating, violations of the IT Act, and the Disability Act, based on a written complaint filed by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
She had however refuted all the allegations against her.
On April 21, the Supreme Court had directed Khedkar to appear before the Crime Branch for questioning on May 2 and ordered the police not to take any “coercive steps” against her. During the hearing, Additional Solicitor General S V Raju had informed the court that her custodial interrogation was necessary to identify the individuals who assisted her in obtaining and preparing the fake disability certificates.
On May 2, she appeared before a Delhi Police Crime Branch team at the Kamla Market office where she was grilled for around eight hours. “She was asked multiple questions related to the case. She was also requested to submit certain documents,” officials said.
— with inputs from PTI
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