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Delhi HC to pronounce today verdict on anticipatory bail plea of ex-IAS trainee officer Puja Khedkar

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New Delhi, Dec 23: The Delhi High Court is slated to deliver on Monday its judgment on anticipatory bail plea of sacked Maharashtra cadre probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar, who allegedly submitted false OBC and PwBD (Persons with Benchmark Disabilities) certificates and fraudulently availed attempts beyond the permissible limits provided for the Civil Services Examination (CSE) by faking her identity.

As per the causelist published on the website of the Delhi HC, a bench of Justice Chandra Dhari Singh will pronounce its verdict on December 23.

Earlier on November 28, Justice Singh-led Bench reserved its decision after hearing both sides. It was then clarified that till the judgment is delivered, the interim relief granted earlier to Puja Khedkar shielding her from arrest will continue.

Asking Khedkar to cooperate with the investigation, the Delhi High Court, in an interim order passed on August 12, granted her protection from arrest.

Earlier, a court here had turned down her anticipatory bail plea and asked the investigating agency to find out if anyone from inside the UPSC had helped Khedkar.

Widening the scope of the probe, Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala had asked Delhi Police to investigate if other people recommended by the UPSC have availed quota benefits without entitlement.

The Centre, on September 7, sacked Khedkar from the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) with immediate effect, a month after the UPSC cancelled her selection in government service. Khedkar has been found guilty of faking and wrongly availing OBC and disability quota benefits.

After cancelling her selection, the UPSC also barred her for life from taking the entrance exam after finding her guilty of faking her identity to take the exam multiple times.

In a status report submitted to the Delhi High Court, Delhi Police had contended that former Maharashtra cadre probationary IAS officer Khedkar had submitted two separate disability certificates for her UPSC exam. The disability certificates dated 2018 and 2021 citing ‘multiple disabilities’ were purportedly issued by the Ahmednagar District Civil Hospital for her UPSC attempts made in 2022 and 2023.

However, as per Delhi Police’s status report, the hospital authorities had denied that the certificates claiming ‘multiple disabilities’ were issued to her by them. It was found that Khedkar availed relaxed criteria for OBC candidates and persons with disabilities.

It then came to light that her father, a former Maharashtra government officer, had property to the tune of Rs 40 crore and that she did not qualify for the non-creamy layer OBC quota.

The UPSC had said that its Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) “could not detect her number of attempts primarily because she changed not only her name but also her parents’ names”.

The Delhi High Court also issued notice to Khedkar on an application filed by the UPSC alleging that she committed perjury by swearing a false affidavit and making a false statement in relation to her anticipatory bail plea.

In its application, the UPSC disputed that it did not collect any biometrics (eyes and fingerprints) during Khedkar’s personality test and she made a “false statement” regarding the collection of her biometrics for obtaining favourable orders.

Crime

Mumbai Police Constable Arrested For Molesting 12-Year-Old Girl In Saat Rasta Area

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Mumbai: A shameful incident that tarnishes the image of the police uniform has come to light in the jurisdiction of Agripada Police Station. A police constable has been arrested for allegedly molesting a 12-year-old girl in the Saat Rasta area. The shocking act was caught on CCTV, which played a key role in his arrest.

About The Case

According to police sources, the minor had stepped out of her building to collect prasad on Saturday when the 45-year-old constable began following her. When she tried to take the elevator, the constable allegedly stopped her, forcibly grabbed her hand, and dragged her up the stairs

According to Agripada police sources, the minor girl had stepped out of her building to collect prasad when the 45-year-old accused, who was present in the Surrounding area, started following her. When the minor girl enter the elevator, the constable allegedly stopped her and forcibly held her hand. He then reportedly dragged her up the staircase to the first floor of the building.

A police constable posted with the LA in Tardeo has been arrested for allegedly molesting a 12-year-old girl in the Saat Rasta area. The  Shameful incident, which occurred on Saturday, came to light after the girl informed her mother, prompting her to lodge a police complaint.

Following the complaint, Agripada Police registered an FIR under Sections 74 and 78 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 12 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. The constable was taken into custody on Sunday. Police officials said the incident was captured on CCTV, and the footage is being treated as vital evidence in establishing the constable’s role in the offence. The investigation is ongoing.

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Maharashtra

Mumbai CFO Duped Of ₹1.93 Crores In Andheri To Scammer Impersonating As ‘Boss’ On Whatsapp

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Mumbai: A cyber fraud case has come forward from Mumbai’s western region cyber police, revealing a sophisticated cyber fraud operation that involved impersonation on WhatsApp, leading a senior finance executive to transfer Rs 1.93 crore from a company bank account. The plan focused on the chief financial officer (CFO) of a private firm in Andheri.

From April 12 to April 15, the CFO obtained messages from a mobile number impersonating the company’s director, which created an impression of authenticity, and The impersonator, asserting pressing business matters tied to a collaboration involving government officials and a private company, demanded a large payment. Confident in the sender’s identity, the CFO completed the transfer of Rs 1,93,06,000.

The deception came to light on April 15, when the impersonator asked for an extra Rs 3 crore. The CFO, feeling uneasy, reached out to the real director, who verified he had not made any such request, resulting in a quick notification to the authorities. A FIR was lodged on April 28.

After thorough technical analysis, police apprehended six suspects linked to the fraud. Shubham Bajirao Kunjir, aged 28, residing in Pune, was recognized as the main suspect, possessing the beneficiary account. Additional apprehended persons comprised Akshay Gorakh Shelke and Ujjwal Raj Kumar Singh, with their involvement still under scrutiny.

Additionally, Shubhamkumar Jaipal Singh Pardeshi arranged provisions and collected banking resources, while Aditya Dilip Shinde communicated transaction information according to a report by Mid Day. Iran Shivpal Mishra was involved in providing banking details to Chinese agents and transforming money into cryptocurrency.

Officials confiscated several gadgets, such as cell phones, computers, and banking-related materials. Inquiries showed the bank account in use had participated in several earlier cyber fraud cases. Officials urged the public to verify financial requests obtained digitally on their own and promote prompt reporting of any suspicious activities to the relevant authorities.

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Business

Sensex Today: Markets Slip In Early Trade, IT Stocks & Foreign Fund Outflows Drag Indices

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Key Highlights:

– Sensex fell 232.93 points; Nifty dropped 71.4 points in early trade.

– IT majors like Infosys and Tech Mahindra among top losers.

– FIIs offloaded ₹5,104 crore worth of equities on Friday.

Mumbai: Benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty dropped in early trade on Monday amid selling pressure in IT stocks and foreign fund outflows.

The 30-share BSE Sensex declined 232.93 points to 82,267.54 in early trade. The 50-share NSE Nifty dipped 71.4 points to 25,078.45.

From the Sensex firms, Bajaj Finance, Infosys, Tech Mahindra, Bharti Airtel, HCL Tech and Asian Paints were among the biggest laggards.

However, Trent, Axis Bank, Mahindra & Mahindra and NTPC were among the gainers.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 5,104.22 crore on Friday, according to exchange data.

“Nifty has been exhibiting weak trend weighed mainly by the weakness in the IT stocks. This weakness may persist particularly since the FIIs were big sellers in the cash market last Friday. Market is expecting a US-India trade deal soon with a tariff rate of around 20 per cent for India. If this happens the market will get a sentimental boost. Any disappointment on this front can drag the market further down,” VK Vijayakumar, Chief Investment Strategist, Geojit Investments Limited, said.

In Asian markets, South Korea’s Kospi, Shanghai’s SSE Composite index and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng were trading in the positive territory while Japan’s Nikkei 225 index quoted lower.

The US markets ended lower on Friday.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude climbed 0.17 per cent to USD 70.48 a barrel.

On Friday, the Sensex tanked 689.81 points or 0.83 per cent to settle at 82,500.47. Similarly, the Nifty dropped 205.40 points or 0.81 per cent to 25,149.85.

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