Delhi High Court Rejects Puja Khedkar’s Appeal Against UPSC Action

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday declined to hear the petition filed by probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar challenging the UPSC’s decision to cancel her provisional candidature and permanently bar her from future exams.

The court deemed the petition premature and advised Khedkar to seek redress from the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).

Justice Jyoti Singh, who presided over the case, stated that addressing the petition at this stage would exceed the court’s jurisdiction.

Khedkar’s counsel, senior advocate Indira Jaising, contended that the UPSC’s decision was communicated via a press release, without prior formal notification or hearing. She argued that the press release led to unintended consequences, including an FIR against Khedkar and subsequent actions by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT). Jaising sought to annul the press release and prevent UPSC from acting on it until an official order was issued.

On the other hand, senior advocate Naresh Kaushik representing the UPSC defended the press release as a necessary step due to Khedkar’s untraceable status. He stated that it was merely an informational notice, not a formal decision. The Centre’s additional solicitor general Chetan Sharma echoed that the petition was premature and related to the show cause notice.

The court ultimately dismissed the petition, allowing Khedkar to appeal to CAT and instructing UPSC to send official communications to Khedkar’s last known address and email.