New Delhi, July 31: The UPSC on Wednesday said it has cancelled the provisional candidature of probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar and debarred her from all future examinations or selections. "The UPSC has examined the available records carefully and found her guilty of acting in contravention of the provisions of the CSE-2022 Rules," the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) said in a statement. Puja Khedkar's Provisional Candidature Cancelled by UPSC, Controversial IAS Trainee Banned From Appearing in Future Exams.

It said her provisional candidature for the CSE-2022 (Civil Services Examination-2022) has been "cancelled" and she has also been "debarred permanently" from all future UPSC examinations or selections. The commission said a show cause notice (SCN) was issued to Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar on July 18 for "fraudulently" availing attempts beyond the permissible limit in the examination by "faking" her identity. Puja Khedkar Controversy: Delhi Police Likely To Send Notice to IAS Probationer To Join Probe in ‘Fraud Case’.

She was to submit her response to the SCN by July 25 but she requested for time till August 4 to gather the necessary documents for her response, it said. The UPSC granted her a "final opportunity" to submit her response by 3:30 pm on July 30 but she "failed to submit her explanation within the prescribed time", the commission said.