'Don't Consider 7 Out Of 12 Attempts': Ex-IAS Trainee Puja Khedkar To Delhi HC; Cites Disability

In the latest development over her controversial recruitment by UPSC, former trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar on Friday urged the Delhi High Court to disregard seven out of her 12 acknowledged attempts to pass the highly competitive Civil Services entrance exam.

Khedkar, who made headlines over a long list of fraudulent activities, claimed a 47 percent disability as against the government's 40 percent benchmark. Citing a Maharashtra hospital certificate diagnosing her with an "old ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) tear with left knee instability", she urged that only attempts in the 'divyang' category should be counted. Centre uses the term 'divyang' to identify individuals with disabilities.

In an affidavit filed with the court today, Khedkar urged that her seven attempts as a general-category student should be disregarded. If accepted, be accepted, it will curtail the number of confirmed attempts to five which is four less than the accepted upper limits for persons with disabilities.

IAS Puja Khedkar Row: Top developments

• 34-year-old IAS officer Khedkar hit headlines as the reports on her alleged demands for a separate office, official car and unauthorised use of a beacon on her private luxurious car emerged. She was subsequently transferred to Washim from Pune.

• Furthermore, allegations of misusing the disability and Other Backward Class (OBC) quota to secure a position in the IAS also surfaced.

• Centre put on hold the district training programme of Khedkar, a 2023 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, Moreover, she was summoned back to the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration (LBSNAA) for “necessary action”.

• Before scrapping her candidature, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) filed an FIR against Khedkar for "faking her identity" and issued a show-cause notice for the cancellation of her candidature. According to UPSC, a "detailed and thorough investigation into the misdemeanour of Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, a provisionally recommended candidate for the Civil Services Examination 2022" has been conducted.

• Amid controversies surrounding Puja Khedkar, her parents Manorama and Dilip Khedkar too came under the spotlight after police registered an FIR against them over a video purportedly showing them threatening some persons with a gun.

• The Paud police in Pune rural have booked her parents and five others under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) sections, including 323 (dishonest or fraudulent removal or concealment of property).