‘Not a murderer, drug lord or terrorist’: SC grants anticipatory bail to Puja Khedkar

“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,” a Bench of Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma said.

“Bearing in mind the facts and circumstances of the case, this is a fit case where the Delhi High Court ought to have granted (interim) bail to the petitioner,” it said even as the Delhi Police counsel vehemently opposed anticipatory bail to Khedkar, saying allegations against her were serious.

As the Delhi Police accused her of not cooperating in the probe, the top court directed Khedkar to cooperate in the investigation.

The Supreme Court had on April 21 ordered Khedkar to appear before Delhi Police on May 2 for interrogation. “It appears there has been no concrete investigation against the petitioner as such,” it had said.

Noting that the interim protection from coercive action has been granted to her on the condition that she would cooperate with the investigation,” the Bench had directed Delhi Police to conclude the probe expeditiously.

Facing imminent arrest for alleged cheating and wrongly availing of OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination, Khedkar had on January 15 got a major relief from the Supreme Court which protected her from arrest.

She has challenged the Delhi High Court’s December 23 judgment rejecting her anticipatory bail plea and vacating the interim protection granted to her in the case.

She joined the Pune Collectorate in June this year as a probationer and on July 31, the UPSC cancelled her candidature and debarred her permanently from all the future examinations after she was found guilty of “acting in contravention of the Civil Services Examination-2022 Rules.”

“The present incident is a classic example of fraud committed not only with a constitutional body but the society at large and necessary interrogation is warranted to reveal all the aspects and attributes related to the said fraud committed against the nation,” the High Court had said, dismissing her petition and vacating the interim protection given to her on August 12, 2024.

However, Khedkar contended that she did not have any criminal antecedents and that she was an unmarried woman with benchmark disability. The accused submitted that she joined the All India Service, was appointed after physical verification and was entitled to protection under the All India Services Act and Rules, besides the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, until proved otherwise.

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