Supreme Court notice to Pooja Khedkar, ordered to appear before Delhi Police on May 2

On Monday, the Supreme Court once again granted relief to former IAS probationer Pooja Khedkar and directed him to appear before the Delhi Police on May 2. During the hearing, the bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma mentioned that no serious action would be taken against them till May 21. Khedkar is accused of cheating in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2022 and misusing the OBC and Divyang quota. Khedkar denies wrongdoing or cheating on his test.

In this case, the Supreme Court bench found that an adequate investigation had not been carried out to date and directed the Delhi Police to expedite the investigation. Also, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, representing the Delhi Police, stated that Khedkar must be questioned in custody, and the court granted him interim relief for now.

Earlier, the High Court had rejected his anticipatory bail plea and said that this is a case of large-scale manipulation of the system, which should be investigated in depth. Both UPSC and Delhi Police have started an FIR and the investigation process against Khedkar. Khedkar is accused of trying to appear in the exam with the help of wrong information and a fake identity.

It is worth noting that Pooja Khedkar was given interim protection from arrest when the High Court issued notice on her anticipatory bail plea on August 12, 2024, and it was extended from time to time. The High Court had said that the UPSC exam was the most prestigious examination, and this case is a classic example of fraud with the constitutional body as well as the society. The former IAS probationer is accused of submitting false information in his application for the UPSC Civil Services Examination, 2022 to avail reservation benefits.