The Delhi High Court told former probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar to respond to a plea by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) seeking initiation of perjury proceedings against her for allegedly giving false statement and affidavit in the court | Photo Credit: ANI The Delhi High Court on Thursday (September 12, 2024) told former probationary Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar to respond to a plea by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) seeking initiation of perjury proceedings against her for allegedly giving false statement and affidavit in the court. The UPSC claimed that Ms. Khedkar made a false statement that she had not been served with the order by which her candidature was cancelled and she came to know of it only through the press release issued by the commission.The UPSC said the July 31 communication by which Ms. Khedkar’s candidature was cancelled was communicated to her on her registered email ID the same day. The commission said it was the same email ID which was registered in her online application for the Civil Service Programme (CSP) 2022.The court granted Ms. Khedkar three weeks to file reply to the UPSC’s application and listed the matter for further hearing on November 26.The commission sought an inquiry against Ms. Khedkar in accordance with law for committing the offence of perjury.Ms. Khedkar had earlier approached the court challenging the UPSC’s press release stating that her candidature had been cancelled. The court had disposed of the petition after noting the UPSC’s submission that it would communicate its order cancelling her candidature.Ms. Khedkar is accused of cheating and wrongly availing Other Backward Classes (OBC) and disability quota benefits while applying for the civil services examinations. On July 31, the UPSC cancelled her candidature and debarred her from future exams. The court has granted her interim protection of arrest in connection with the fraud case. The commission has also opposed the anticipatory bail plea by Ms. Khedkar saying she committed a fraud against the commission and the public.The Delhi police had also sought dismissal of the pre-arrest bail plea on the ground that any relief to her would hinder their probe into the “deep-rooted conspiracy” and that the case had wider implications on public trust as well as the integrity of the civil services examination. Published – September 12, 2024 08:14 pm IST