Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) chairman Manoj Soni has reportedly resigned citing “personal reasons”.
Sources told the news agency PTI that Soni submitted his resignation two weeks ago, but that it has still not been accepted by the authorities.
They further said that his resignation “is in no way related to controversies and allegations surrounding the UPSC after the issue of IAS probationary officer Puja Khedkar came to light.”
Soni, 59, joined the commission as a member on June 28, 2019, and became chairman on May 16, 2023. His term was originally set to end on May 15, 2029.
Sources informed PTI that Soni had expressed his wish not to take up the role of chairman and had requested to be relieved of his duties, as he preferred to devote more time to ‘socio-religious activities’.
This development follows the UPSC’s announcement on Friday that it had filed a criminal case against Khedkar for forging her identity and taken steps to debar her from future selections. Ever since Khedkar’s incident came to light, social media has been abuzz with allegations of similar cases involving forged certificates of serving IAS and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers.
Before his appointment at UPSC, Soni served three terms as Vice-Chancellor, including two consecutive terms from 1 August 2009 to 31 July 2015 at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University (BAOU) in Gujarat and one term at Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) in Baroda from April 2005 to April 2008. When he joined MSU, he was the youngest Vice-Chancellor in India.
Soni, a political scientist with a specialization in international relations, taught at Sardar Patel University (SPU) in Vallabh Vidyanagar from 1991 to 2016, except during his tenure as vice-chancellor of the two universities. He has received numerous recognitions and awards and has a significant number of publications to his credit.
The UPSC is headed by a chairman and can have a maximum of ten members. At present, there are seven members, three less than the permitted strength.
First print: Jul 20, 2024 | 11:23 AM IST