UPSC cancel Pooja Khedkar selection: probe her under forgery

On Wednesday, the UPSC cancel the probational candidature of Batch 2023 IAS officer Pooja Khedkar over the charges of faking identity to avail attempts above the limit. UPSC also disbarred her from giving any further exam and selection.

The UPSC also issued a show-cause notice to Puja Khedkar over forgery allegations, requiring her response by July 25. She requested an extension until August 2, but the UPSC granted time only until July 30. Khedkar failed to respond within the extended deadline, resulting in her selection being canceled.

 

Pooja Khedkar Case

Pooja Khedkar, a Pune-based IAS officer who ranked 841 in the UPSC exam, is facing allegations of submitting a fake medical report to misuse her position. The controversy started when she provided a disability certificate from Yashwantrao Chavan Hospital to secure certain exemptions. However, investigations raised doubts about the certificate’s authenticity. Her actions, including missing a mandatory AIIMS medical examination, have put her UPSC result and career at risk. These allegations have cast a shadow over her achievements, including her UPSC attempts, and have brought her under intense scrutiny.

 

The UPSC Decision

After Pooja Khedkar failed to respond to the UPSC’s show-cause notice, the Union Public Service Commission canceled her selection and disbarred her from taking any further exams. Following an internal inquiry, the UPSC found that Khedkar violated rules by providing fake documents to avail more attempts than permitted.

In a statement, the UPSC said, ‘Ms. Khedkar has been found guilty of violating the rules of the Civil Services Examination. A Show Cause Notice (SCN) was issued by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to Ms. Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, a provisionally recommended candidate of the Civil Services Examination-2022 (CSE-2022), on 18th July 2024 for fraudulently availing attempts beyond the permissible limit by faking her identity.

 

Impact of the Decision

In response to this case, the UPSC reviewed data from over 15,000 candidates who passed the civil services exam between 2009 and 2023. Apart from Khedkar, no other candidate was found to have exceeded the allowed number of attempts under the CSE Rules.

Khedkar bypassed the permissible attempts by altering her name and her parents’ names, thereby exploiting a loophole in the Commission’s standard operating procedure (SOP). The UPSC is now taking steps to further strengthen the SOP to prevent similar incidents in the future.

 

Conclusion

The Pooja Khedkar case has highlighted significant vulnerabilities in the UPSC’s procedures. Her actions, which involved manipulating her identity to exceed the permissible number of exam attempts, led to her disqualification and a lifetime ban from the Civil Services Examination. The case has prompted the UPSC to scrutinize its processes and ensure stricter enforcement of its rules. By reviewing over 15,000 candidate records and addressing loopholes in its standard operating procedures, the UPSC aims to maintain the integrity of its examinations and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.