Puja Khedkar case: Delhi Police writes to Maha govt

New Delhi: The Delhi Police has sought information from the Maharashtra government, the IAS training academy in Mussoorie and AIIMS Delhi on former IAS prohibitionary officer Puja Khedkar in connection with a cheating and forgery case, sources said on Friday. Khedkar was booked by the Delhi Police Crime Branch on July 19 for wrongly availing OBC and PwD (person with disabilities) quota benefits to secure her candidature in the civil services exam.

On Thursday, a Delhi court denied her anticipatory bail, saying there were serious allegations against her which “require a thorough investigation”.

Khedkar, who has not been arrested in the case, had approached the court through her lawyer, saying she faces “immediate threat of arrest”.

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) cancelled Khedkar’s candidature this week and debarred her from future exams.

A source in the Delhi Police said Khedkar was in India and the department would soon issue her a notice to join the probe.

The UPSC has filed a police case accusing Khedkar of fraud and faking her identity to take the exam beyond the permissible number of attempts.

The sources said police officers investigating the case have written to the Maharashtra revenue department, the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration in Uttarakhand’s Mussoorie and AIIMS, Delhi.

“Seeking application form details of Khedkar, the police had also written to the UPSC. Some of the replies have come from the UPSC but the reports from other departments are awaited,” an official source said.

Another source said the compilation of relevant documents is being carried out. Once its completed, the notice may be be served or she might be asked to join the probe.