The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, who faces allegations of using forged OBC and PwD certificates to clear the UPSC Civil Services Examination.

A bench comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma made absolute the interim protection granted to Khedkar earlier in January. The Court noted that, given the nature of the allegations and the facts presented, the Delhi High Court ought to have allowed her anticipatory bail plea.

“In the event of arrest, the appellant shall be released on bail on furnishing cash sureties of ₹25,000 along with two live sureties,” the bench stated in its order. “She shall cooperate fully with the investigation, shall not misuse her liberty, nor influence witnesses or tamper with evidence. In case of any violation of these conditions, the State is at liberty to seek cancellation of bail.”

The Court rejected the contention of the State counsel that Khedkar had not been cooperating with the investigation and that the seriousness of the allegations warranted custodial interrogation. The State had alleged that Khedkar used fake documents to unlawfully increase her number of permissible UPSC attempts. Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra appeared on behalf of Khedkar.

Earlier, on March 18, the apex court had extended her interim protection and declined the Delhi Police's request for custodial interrogation, which they claimed was necessary to probe a larger scam involving forged documents by other UPSC aspirants.

In December 2024, the Delhi High Court had dismissed Khedkar’s anticipatory bail plea, observing that she appeared to have fraudulently availed benefits reserved for disadvantaged groups and manipulated the system through forged documents. The Court remarked that her actions were part of a broader conspiracy and granting her bail could hinder the ongoing investigation.

Khedkar was posted to the Pune Collectorate as part of her probationary training in June 2024. She has been accused of misusing OBC and PwBD quotas to qualify for the UPSC examination.

The UPSC subsequently lodged an FIR against her and issued a show-cause notice regarding the cancellation of her selection. She has also been debarred from appearing in future examinations.

In a public statement, the UPSC claimed that its investigation revealed Khedkar had submitted forged documents to fraudulently claim additional attempts. It also alleged that she altered her name, as well as the names of her parents, along with changing her photograph, signature, contact information, and address in official records.

Case Title: Puja Manorama Dilip Khedkar vs. State of NCT of Delhi
Case No.: SLP (Crl) No. 000357 / 2025