Ex-trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who is accused of faking a disability and forging caste certificates to crack the civil services exam, was granted anticipatory bail by the Supreme Court on Wednesday. The court allowed her release on a cash surety of ₹35,000 if arrested.
The top court questioned the Delhi High Court’s earlier refusal to grant her bail, stating the case did not warrant custody, as it was not a heinous offence like murder or those under the NDPS Act. “She will cooperate,” Justice BV Nagarathna said, rejecting Delhi Police’s claim that Khedkar had not been cooperating with the investigation.
Khedkar had moved the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court in December 2024 denied her bail, describing the case as a “classic example of fraud” and suggesting a possible conspiracy involving powerful individuals and her family members.
Delhi Police had argued her custody was necessary to probe the suspected larger scam involving the issuance of fake caste and disability certificates. However, the court held that custodial interrogation was not essential to determine the source of forged documents.
This is the second time the Supreme Court has intervened in her case, having earlier granted her interim protection from arrest in January, later extended in March.
Khedkar, who was dismissed from service by the Centre in September after the UPSC cancelled her selection, has consistently denied all charges. She claims to have been targeted after filing a sexual harassment complaint against a senior officer. Her defense also cites a medical certificate for a knee injury and argues that only her middle name had changed—not her surname.
Her alleged misuse of OBC and disability quotas came under scrutiny after the Pune Collector raised concerns in June 2024 about her entitlement demands during probation. A subsequent probe revealed her family owns assets worth ₹40 crore, disqualifying her from OBC non-creamy layer benefits.
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