New Delhi, Sept 7 (UNI) The Central Government has discharged the controversial Indian Administrative Service (IAS) Probationer, Puja Khedkar from service with immediate effect.
Khedkar was accused of committing fraud and wrongly availing Other Backward Class (OBC) and disability quota benefits to ensure her selection in the service, which she had denied.
The Central Government by an order dated September 6, 2024 discharged Puja Khedkar, under Rule 12 of IAS(Probation) Rules, 1954, with immediate effect.
A notification issued by the government said that as per the information submitted by Puja Khedkar, IAS Probationer herself in her Civil Services Examination (CSE) application forms between CSE- 2012 to CSE- 2023, it is seen that she had availed more attempts at the CSE than the maximum permissible number of nine attempts in her claimed category (OBC and PwBD), which she had exhausted by attempting the CSE between 2012 and 2020 i.e., prior to the CSE-2022 itself.
"Rule 3 of CSE Rules 2022 prescribed the maximum number of attempts permissible to a candidate belonging to various categories. For an OBC and PwBD it is nine attempts," the notification said.
The notification further said that Rule 12 of IAS (Probation) Rules, 1954, provides for discharge on ground of a probationer being ineligible to be recruited to the Service. After holding a brief enquiry, it was found that Puja Khedkar, IAS Probationer (MH:2023), was ineligible to be a candidate at the CSE-2022, which was the year of her selection and appointment to the IAS. Therefore, she was ineligible to be recruited to the Indian Administrative Service.
In July the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) cancelled Puja Khedkar's provisional candidature and permanently debarred her from future exams and selections of the UPSC.
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