Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) chairperson Manoj Soni has tendered his resignation nearly five years before the completion of his tenure, citing personal reasons.
Soni’s decision, which comes as a surprise, has sparked speculation within administrative circles as the move comes amid the trainee IAS Puja Khedkar’s controversy.
However, official sources have clarified that his resignation is unrelated to recent controversies surrounding the UPSC, including the Puja Khedkar episode and ongoing questions regarding the conduct of IAS/IPS exams.
Soni became a member of the Union Public Service Commission in 2017 and assumed office as chairman on May 16, 2023.
According to a report by ‘The Hindu’, Manoj Soni resigned nearly a month ago. It remains unclear whether his resignation will be accepted.
IAS Puja Khedkar Controvery
Puja Khedkar, a 2023 batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Maharashtra cadre, has been accused of faking her caste and medical certificates.
The 34-year-old IAS officer made headlines over her alleged demands for a separate office, staff and quarters — which she is not entitled to as a probationer. Pune police are probing charges that she used a red beacon and an insignia of the Maharashtra government on her private Audi vehicle.
Khedkar is facing allegations of submitting fake certificates to secure her job and asking for special privileges at workplace, on charges of cheating.
UPSC) has filed an FIR against Khedkar and has issued a show-cause notice to Khedkar, asking why her candidature as an IAS officer should not be cancelled in light of the allegations related to fake certificates.
Nudged Out Owing to Current Controversy: Congress on UPSC Chairman Resignation
Meanwhile, Congress alleged that Soni was apparently “nudged out” given the current controversy in which the Commission is involved.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge alleged the BJP-RSS is systematically indulging in an institutional takeover of India’s constitutional bodies, thereby damaging their reputation, integrity and autonomy.
“The multiple scandals that have plagued the UPSC is a cause of national concern. PM Modi and his Minister of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions must come clean. Numerous cases of unqualified individuals faking caste and medical certificates seemed to have duped a ‘foolproof’ system,” Kharge said in a post on X.
This is a direct affront to the genuine aspirations of lakhs of aspirants, including SC, ST, OBC, EWS candidates who work hard, burning midnight oil in preparing for the Civil Services Examinations, he said.
“It is disconcerting how the UPSC Chairperson has resigned prematurely, five years before his term ends. Why was his resignation kept secret for a month? Is there any connection between the numerous scandals and the resignation?” Kharge said.
“This ‘blue-eyed-gem’ of Modi ji was brought in from Gujarat and promoted to being the Chairperson of UPSC ” he said.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel had referred to the civil servants as the ‘Steel frame of India’, but the Modi government’s desperate attempt to control every aspect of governance has punched holes in the same, Kharge alleged.
“This needs to be thoroughly investigated at the highest level so that such cases of fraudulent malpractices in UPSC admissions don’t happen in the future,” he said.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh also slammed the government, saying the sanctity and autonomy of all constitutional bodies have been badly damaged since 2014 — the year Narendra Modi became the prime minister.
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