Former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) probationer officer Pooja Khedkar on Thursday told the Delhi High Court that she is ready to undergo medical examination at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
Khedkar’s plea came in response to the Delhi Police’s allegation that one of his disability certificates may be ‘fake’. The court was considering Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea in a criminal case.
Pooja Khedkar has been accused of fraud and misusing the benefits of Other Backward Class (OBC) and disability quota.
The senior advocate appearing for Khedkar said, “I (Khedkar) am ready to undergo medical examination. First they said I have changed my name. Now they are saying (my) disability is doubtful. I am ready to go to AIIMS.”
Justice Subramaniam Prasad has fixed the next hearing of the case on September 26.
He placed on record that the police have sought 10 more days for further investigation. In the meantime, the interim protection from arrest granted to Khedkar by the High Court will continue.
The Delhi Police counsel argued that Khedkar had “concealed facts” while taking the civil services exam otherwise she was not eligible to take the exam.
Khedkar’s counsel claimed that the police had not pressed for custodial interrogation of him in its status report filed in the case and it was anyway not required as all the records were available with the authorities.
Police said Khedkar’s custody was necessary to unearth the “conspiracy” and other persons involved in it.
Khedkar allegedly submitted false information in his application for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam 2022 to avail reservation benefits.
The UPSC cancelled his candidature on July 31 and debarred him from appearing in future exams. Khedkar has denied all the allegations. However, both the UPSC and the Delhi Police have sought dismissal of Khedkar’s plea for anticipatory bail.
The Delhi Police has claimed that granting him any relief would hamper the investigation into the “deep conspiracy” and the case would have a far-reaching impact on the public confidence as well as the sanctity of the civil services examination.
After this, the police claimed that Khedkar submitted two different disability certificates for Civil Services Examination-2022 and Civil Services Examination-2023.
Police say that after verification, it was found that the latter certificate was more likely to be ‘fake’.
The Delhi Police has registered an FIR under provisions of the Indian Penal Code, Information Technology Act and Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act.
A local sessions court had on August 1 refused to grant anticipatory bail to Khedkar, saying there were serious allegations against him which required thorough investigation.
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