The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) chairman Manoj Soni has resigned citing personal reasons before the expiry of his tenure in May 2029, official sources said on Saturday. However, they clarified that his resignation is “not in any way connected to controversies and allegations surrounding UPSC after probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar issue came to the fore.”
“The UPSC chairman had tendered his resignation citing personal reasons over a fortnight back. It is yet to be accepted,” a source said. His proximity with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is well known and he has been associated with the UPSC since 2017, was appointed as the Chairperson on May 16, 2023.
Sources said Soni was not keen on becoming the UPSC chairman and had requested to be relieved. However, his request was not accepted then, the sources. However, there remains uncertainty about whether his resignation will be accepted, and he will be officially relieved.
It was reported that Soni submitted his resignation to the President of India, but the government has not yet announced a successor. The development assumes significance as the UPSC on Friday said it has lodged a criminal case against Khedkar for faking her identity to fraudulently avail attempts in the civil services examination beyond eligibility, and taken steps to debar her from future selections.
Since Khedkar’s case of misusing power and privileges came to fore, social media is abuzz with claims and counter-claims on use of fake certificates by serving Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, among others.
Social media users have shared names, pictures and other details of a few IAS and IPS officers, claiming they used bogus certificates to claim benefits available for those belonging to Other Backward Class (non-creamy layer) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).
However, sources indicate that Soni wishes to devote more time to Anoopam Mission, a branch of the Swaminarayan Sect in Gujarat. He became a monk, or nishkam karmayogi (selfless worker), in the Mission after his initiation in 2020.
In 2005, at the age of 40, he was appointed as the Vice-Chancellor of Vadodara’s prestigious MS University, making him the youngest Vice-Chancellor in India by Narendra Modi government in Gujarat. Before his UPSC appointment in June 2017, Soni served three terms as Vice-Chancellor at two universities in Gujarat, including Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University (BAOU), which offers distance education courses.