The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim protection from arrest to former IAS trainee Puja Khedkar, accused of fraudulently clearing the civil services examination held by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). Issuing a notice on her appeal challenging the Delhi High Court order denying her anticipatory bail, a bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and Satish Chandra Sharma directed that no coercive steps be taken against her until the next date of hearing. The notice is returnable by February 14. Justice Nagarathna told senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, who appeared for Khedkar, what the apprehension was when nothing had happened to her so far. Luthra responded that the high court had made some strong remarks and that it would complicate matters for her if the case goes to trial. When the bench asked what Khedkar was doing now, Luthra said she had lost her job and was pursuing legal remedies. Khedkar has been accused of cheating and wrongly availing of OBC and disability quota benefits in the civil services exam. She has denied all allegations. …