The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has filed a case against probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who is being investigated for allegedly forging disability certificates to pass the civil services exam. The commission is seeking to cancel her candidature.

The UPSC released a statement indicating that a "detailed and thorough investigation" was conducted into the alleged misconduct of Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar, a provisionally recommended candidate of the Civil Services Examination-2022. The investigation revealed that Khedkar fraudulently exceeded the permissible attempt limit by faking her identity, including altering her name, her parents' names, photograph, signature, email ID, mobile number, and address.

As a result, the UPSC has taken several actions against her, including filing a First Information Report (FIR) with the police and issuing a Show Cause Notice (SCN) to cancel her candidature and potentially bar her from future examinations and selections, in accordance with the Civil Services Examination-2022 Rules.

The commission emphasized its commitment to maintaining the sanctity and integrity of its examination processes, adhering to its Constitutional mandate, and ensuring due diligence and fairness in all its operations.

On Thursday, Khedkar was summoned by the Pune Police to provide a statement. This development followed her filing of a harassment case against Pune District Collector Suhas Diwase, who had reported her alleged misuse of power to the Maharashtra government.