UPSC cheating case: Puja Khedkar seeks pre-arret bail, moves SC
New Delhi, Jan 14: Former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, accused of cheating and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services examination, has moved the Supreme Court for anticipatory bail.
A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma is scheduled to hear the plea on January 15.
Khedkar has challenged the December 23 2024 Delhi High Court order which refused to grant her anticipatory bail.
The high court said a strong prima facie case was made out against Khedkar and an investigation was required to unearth the "larger conspiracy" to manipulate the system and a pre-arrest bail would adversely impact it.
"Anticipatory bail plea is dismissed. Interim protection from arrest is vacated," the high court said.
Khedkar was granted an interim protection from arrest when the high court issued notice on her anticipatory bail plea on August 12, 2024, and it was extended from time to time.
The UPSC examination was the most prestigious test and the case was a classic instance of fraud committed on a constitutional body as well as the society, the high court said.
Khedkar is accused of misrepresenting information in her application for the UPSC civil services examination, 2022, to get reservation benefits.
She refuted all the allegations against her.
The anticipatory bail plea was opposed by the Delhi Police counsel and the complainant, the UPSC, in the high court.
While Khedkar's counsel argued she was willing to join and cooperate in the investigation and as all the material was documentary in nature, her custody was not required, Delhi Police said her custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth the involvement of others.
The UPSC opposed the plea and said Khedkar committed a fraud against it and the public, and her custodial interrogation was necessary to unearth the "magnitude" of the fraud which couldn't have been done without the help of others.
The UPSC initiated a series of actions against Khedkar, including lodging of a criminal case, for availing attempts in the civil services exam by faking her identity whereas Delhi Police lodged an FIR for various offences.
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Noida airport to begin ops next month with IndiGo flights to Lucknow, Bengaluru
Noida (PTI): IndiGo on Thursday announced that it will start commercial flight operations from the Noida International Airport in Jewar from June 15, becoming the launch carrier for the greenfield airport in western Uttar Pradesh.
The first day flights will be to and fro Lucknow and Bengaluru, the airline said in a statement.
Noida International Airport was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
IndiGo said it will be the first carrier to start commercial services from the airport, the third in the National Capital Region (NCR).
According to the airline, inaugural flights on June 15 will operate on the Lucknow-Noida-Bengaluru-Noida-Lucknow sector.
As per the announced schedule, flight 6E 2278 will depart from Lucknow at 7.05 am and arrive in Noida at 8.05 am before departing for Bengaluru at 8.35 am and landing there at 11.05 am.
The return flight, 6E 2279, will leave Bengaluru at 3.45 pm and reach Noida at 6.20 pm before departing for Lucknow at 6.55 pm and arriving there at 8 pm.
IndiGo said it will gradually introduce direct flights connecting Noida International Airport to more than 16 destinations across the country, including metro cities such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad, besides tier-2 and tier-3 cities like Amritsar, Chandigarh, Dharamsala, Jaipur, Lucknow, Navi Mumbai, Pantnagar and Srinagar.
The airline said bookings for the flights are being opened in phases through its website, mobile application and authorised travel partners.
Aloke Singh, Chief Strategy Officer of IndiGo, said the airline was pleased to announce the launch of operations from Noida International Airport.
"Strategically positioned on the Yamuna Expressway, Noida International Airport will be the new gateway for western Uttar Pradesh alongside the NCR. As we continue to expand our operations, we remain committed to delivering affordable, on-time and hassle-free travel experiences," Singh said.
IndiGo said the airport is expected to emerge as a major domestic aviation hub and will strengthen connectivity between Delhi-NCR and western Uttar Pradesh through integrated road and rail infrastructure.
