August 29, 2024: Former trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who has been accused of cheating and wrongly securing OBC and disability quota benefits, has told the Delhi High Court that the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which conducts the civil services exam has no power to take disqualify her.

The UPSC, last month cancelled Puja Khedkar’s candidature and debarred her from future exams. The Commission alleged that she misrepresented information in her application for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2022 to get reservation benefits.

“Once selected and appointed as a Probationary Officer, UPSC does not have the power to disqualify the candidature,” Puja Khedkar, who is seeking anticipatory bail in the criminal case against her, said in a response filed before the court on the UPSC’s charges against her.

She said that now only the Department of Personal and Training (DoPT) of the Central Government can take action against her.