UPSC Cancels IAS Selection for Puja Khedkar, Bans Her from Future Exams Due to Identity Fraud
New Delhi: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has revoked Puja Khedkar’s IAS selection and imposed a permanent ban on her participation in all future UPSC exams due to identity fraud. Khedkar was found guilty of manipulating her identity and misusing quotas to surpass the permitted number of attempts in the Civil Services Examination (CSE).
The UPSC issued a Show Cause Notice to Khedkar on July 18, 2024, after discovering irregularities in her application. Despite being given an extension until July 30 to respond, she failed to provide an explanation. The investigation revealed that Khedkar had altered her name, her parents’ names, and other personal details to evade the examination rules. Additionally, she was found to have obtained a fraudulent disability certificate from a Pune hospital, despite reports indicating no actual disability.
The UPSC’s review of over 15,000 candidates from the IAS screening process between 2009 and 2023 confirmed that Khedkar was the only candidate found to have exceeded the permissible number of attempts. The commission acknowledged that Khedkar’s case slipped through their standard procedures due to the extensive changes she made to her identity. As a result, the UPSC is working to enhance its scrutiny measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The UPSC clarified that it conducts preliminary scrutiny of certificates but relies on the issuing authorities for verification, lacking the resources to validate the authenticity of all submitted documents.
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