Allegations against Puja Khedkar are grave; custodial interrogation required to unearth conspiracy: Delhi Court

New Delhi [India], August 1 (ANI): The Delhi Court on Thursday dismissed the anticipatory bail plea of Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, a Trainee IAS officer and said the allegations against the accused are grave and serious, which requires thorough investigation.

Custodial interrogation of the accused is required to unearth the whole conspiracy and to establish the involvement of the other persons involved in the conspiracy. In the present facts and circumstances, I am of the considered opinion that it is not a fit case to exercise discretionary powers of anticipatory bail in favour of the accused, said Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala.

The court noted that in the present case, the applicant/accused has been charged with the commission of an offence punishable under Section 420/468/471/120B IPC, 66D IT Act and 89/91 Rights of Persons with Disability Act, 2016. The applicant/accused has cheated the complainant by misrepresenting.

The complainant/UPSC in order to attain the misrepresentation, has prepared various documents to support her claim. The conspiracy has been hatched in a preplanned manner. The conspiracy was executed by the applicant/accused in many years.

The applicant/accused alone could not have executed the conspiracy without the assistance of some outsider or insider. It is also contended by the lawyer for Delhi Police that the OBC (non creamy layer) status and person with multiple benchmark disabilities are also under scrutiny and investigation, noted the Court.

The court further said, the complainant/UPSC, being a constitutional body, is conducting the exams for the prestigious posts to which aspirants from the whole country are applying. Therefore, the complainant is required to maintain the highest degree of transparency and fairness in its standard operating procedure.

It is an admitted case of the complainant that its standard operating procedure (SOP) has been breached by the applicant/accused, therefore, the complainant should investigate because its scrutiny system has failed to curb the breach. The present case may be only tip of the iceberg

because if the applicant/accused can breach the scrutiny system of the complainant, why not others.

Therefore, in order to maintain the reputation, fairness, sanctity and faith of aspirants and the general public, there is a need on the part of the complainant to strengthen its SOP to ensure that such an event does not occur in the future. The complainant also needs to relook its recommendations made in the recent past to find out the candidates (a) who have illegally availed themselves of attempts beyond permissible limits; (b) who have obtained the OBC (non creamy layer) benefit despite not being entitled; and (c) who have obtained the benefits of persons with benchmark disabilities despite not being entitled, said the court.

The investigating agency also needs to widen its scope of investigation. Hence, the investigating agency is directed to conduct its investigation in all fairness to find out the candidates recommended in recent past (a) Who have illegally availed themselves of attempts beyond permissible limits; (b) who have obtained the OBC (non-creamy layer) benefit, despite not being entitled; (c) Who had obtained the benefits of persons with benchmark disabilities despite not being entitled; and (d) the investigating agency shall also find out whether some insider from the complainant side has also helped the applicant to attain her illegal goals, stated the court.

Puja Khedkar recently filed anticipatory bail application in relation to a FIR registered against her for allegedly “faking her identity to fraudulently avail attempts beyond permissible limit” in civil services examination.

Recently, Delhi Police registered a FIR on the basis of a complaint filed by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) against Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar. (ANI)