New Delhi, July 19: The Congress Friday said issues surrounding the case of controversial IAS probationer Puja Khedkar raise serious concerns about the integrity of the UPSC recruitment process, and demanded the formation of a high-level committee to investigate the "numerous" instances of malpractices that have come up. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Friday said it has registered a police case against Khedkar for fraudulently availing attempts in the civil services examination by faking her identity.

The commission also issued a show cause notice for cancellation of her candidature in the civil services examination-2022 and debarment from future examinations and selections. Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said the UPSC's admission that Puja Khedkar got selected with forged documents raises serious concerns about the integrity of the recruitment process. Puja Khedkar Booked: UPSC Files FIR Against Trainee IAS Officer for Availing Attempts by Faking Identity, Issues Show-Cause Notice for Cancellation of Her Candidature.

"This revelation casts doubt on the effectiveness of the procedures in place, heralded as foolproof by the agency. Now the question arises that how many such unqualified individuals may have slipped through these loopholes in the recruitment process," he said in a post on X. "The situation demands thorough scrutiny and formation of a high level committee to investigate the numerous cases of malpractices that have come up in the public view since this disclosure," Khera said.

Official sources said the commission had on Thursday filed a complaint with the Delhi Police's crime branch against Khedkar. Following the complaint, the police registered a case under relevant provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Information Technology Act and under the disabilities law to probe charges of forgery, cheating and misuse of disability quota in securing her candidature in the civil services, they said.

Khedkar, a 2023-batch probationary Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, is accused of misusing power and privileges, by demanding perks and facilities she was not entitled for, during her training in Pune District Collectorate in Maharashtra recently. She was accused of bullying everyone around and of placing a red-blue beacon (indicating high-ranking official) atop a private Audi (a luxury sedan) car used by her that also had 'Maharashtra Government' written on it during her stint. Puja Khedkar’s Harassment Complaint: Trainee IAS Officer Likely To Meet Police on July 20 in Connection With Harassment Charges Against Pune District Collector.

After the Pune district collector flagged the matter, Khedkar was transferred to Washim District Collectorate in the Vidarbha region. She was declared qualified in the civil services examination 2022. Based on the results declared last year by the UPSC, Khedkar was allocated the IAS and her home state Maharashtra as a cadre.

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