The Delhi High Court on Monday granted interim protection from arrest to former trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar until August 21, directing Delhi Police not to detain her until the next hearing. Khedkar is accused of falsifying details in her application to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

Justice Subramonium Prasad, while hearing Khedkar's plea for anticipatory bail, questioned the necessity of her immediate arrest, suggesting that the evidence currently indicates she acted alone in the alleged offenses.

“At this stage, it does not seem that her immediate custody is necessary,” Justice Prasad remarked.

The court instructed Khedkar to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation and issued notices to UPSC and Delhi Police, requesting their responses on her interim bail request.

Khedkar, who is part of the 2023 IAS batch, allegedly exceeded the permissible number of attempts in the UPSC exams by manipulating her identity, including altering her name, her parents' names, photograph, signature, email ID, mobile number, and address.

The UPSC filed a police complaint, leading to the cancellation of her candidature on July 31, and barred her from future exams.

On August 1, a lower court denied Khedkar anticipatory bail, citing the need for custodial interrogation to reveal the full extent of the conspiracy and identify any others involved.

The Delhi Police initiated an investigation, gathering documents and evidence, and are expected to issue a notice for Khedkar to join the probe.

Khedkar's legal team, led by advocate Bina Madhavan, argued that she should be given a chance to respond to the allegations, emphasizing that her failure to disclose information about her exam attempts warrants further inquiry rather than immediate arrest.