In a recent ruling, the Delhi High Court declined to entertain the petition filed by Puja Khedkar, a probationary Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, challenging the Union Public Service Commission’s (UPSC) decision to cancel her provisional candidature and permanently bar her from future examinations.
The bench, led by Justice Jyoti Singh, deemed Khedkar’s plea premature, granting her the opportunity to approach the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) instead. The court noted that any judicial review at this stage would be without jurisdiction and disposed of the petition while permitting Khedkar to seek redressal from the appropriate forum.
Represented by senior advocate Indira Jaising, Khedkar argued that the UPSC had acted unfairly by cancelling her candidature and debarred her from all examinations without formally issuing an official order. Jaising contended that the UPSC’s decision was communicated through a press release, which was issued without hearing her side and without officially notifying her.
Jaising highlighted that the press release had caused a “domino effect,” leading to the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Khedkar and subsequent actions by the Department of Personnel Training (DoPT). She argued that the release, which Khedkar perceived as a punitive measure, was issued prematurely as her application for an extension to respond to a show cause notice was still pending.
In response, senior advocate Naresh Kaushik, representing the UPSC, argued that the press release was merely an intimation issued because the commission was unaware of Khedkar’s whereabouts. Kaushik maintained that the UPSC would send formal communication to Khedkar’s last known address and email ID.
Khedkar’s legal team indicated that she is willing to withdraw the petition if granted the liberty to approach the CAT for further adjudication.
Sources By Agencies
