The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has cancelled the selection of Puja Khedkar as a trainee IAS officer. She has been banned from taking the entrance exam for life after being found guilty of faking her identity to take the exam multiple times.
In a statement, the UPSC said Ms. Khedkar violated the rules of the Civil Services Examination. On July 18, 2024, the UPSC issued a Show Cause Notice (SCN) to Ms. Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, who was a provisionally recommended candidate of the Civil Services Examination-2022 (CSE-2022). The notice accused her of fraudulently exceeding the permissible number of attempts by using a fake identity.
Ms. Khedkar, 34, was given until July 25 to respond to the notice, but she requested more time until August 4. The UPSC extended the deadline to July 30, clearly stating that it was the final extension and no further time would be granted.
Despite the extended deadline, Ms. Khedkar failed to submit her explanation. The UPSC then reviewed the available records and found her guilty of violating the CSE-2022 rules. As a result, her provisional candidature for CSE-2022 was cancelled, and she has been permanently barred from all future UPSC exams and selections.
Following this incident, the UPSC examined the data of over 15,000 candidates who cleared the IAS screening process between 2009 and 2023. This review confirmed that no other candidate had exceeded the permissible number of attempts, except Ms. Khedkar. She had managed to evade detection by changing not only her name but also her parents’ names.
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The UPSC is now working to strengthen its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to prevent such cases from happening in the future. The commission explained that it only conducts a preliminary scrutiny of candidates’ certificates, relying on the issuing authorities to ensure their authenticity.
The UPSC emphasized that it lacks the mandate and resources to verify the authenticity of thousands of certificates submitted each year. This task is understood to be the responsibility of the relevant authorities.
The UPSC has taken stringent action against Puja Khedkar for her fraudulent actions, ensuring the integrity of the Civil Services Examination process is maintained.
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