UPSC Cancels Puja Khedkar’s Candidature, Bars Her From Appearing Future Exams

New Delhi: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) cancelled the provisional candidature of controversial IAS probationary officer Puja Khedkar on Wednesday. The UPSC also barred her permanently from appearing in all future exams conducted by the commission.

She is alleged to have misused the disability and Other Backward Class (non-creamy layer) quotas to secure her candidature in the civil services exam. She is accused to have lied about visual and mental disabilities, and faked her identity, to pass the Civil Services entrance exam – attempted the uber-competitive qualifying test more than the six times permitted for a general category candidate.

The UPSC made this announcement after reviewing Puja Khedkar’s eligibility. “UPSC has examined the available records carefully and found her guilty of acting in contravention of the provisions of the CSE-2022 Rules. Her provisional candidature for the CSE-2022 has been cancelled and she has also been debarred permanently from all the future Examinations/Selections of the UPSC,” an official statement by UPSC read.