Manoj Soni has stepped down as UPSC chairman due to personal reasons.

According to official sources, Manoj Soni, the chairman of UPSC, has submitted his resignation due to personal reasons. This comes as a surprise, as his tenure was set to end in May 2029. However, sources have clarified that his resignation is not related to any controversies or allegations surrounding the Union Public Service Commission, particularly the recent issue involving probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar.

Sources have revealed that Soni tendered his resignation more than two weeks ago, but it has not yet been accepted. The 59-year-old educationist was appointed as a member of the Commission in 2017 and took over as chairman in 2023. He expressed his desire to be relieved from the position, but his request was not granted at the time. Now, he wishes to dedicate more time to socio-religious activities.

This development holds significance as UPSC has recently taken action against Khedkar for using fake identity to gain unfair advantage in the civil services examination. This has sparked a debate on social media about the misuse of power and privileges by IAS and IPS officers, with claims of some using bogus certificates to claim benefits meant for Other Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections.

Prior to his role in UPSC, Soni has served as Vice-Chancellor of three universities, including two consecutive terms at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University in Gujarat and one term at The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. When he joined the latter, he became the youngest ever Vice-Chancellor in the country. Soni is a renowned scholar in political science, with expertise in international relations. He has been a professor at Sardar Patel University, except for the period when he served as Vice-Chancellor at the two universities.

Soni's contributions have been recognized through various awards and he has a substantial number of publications to his name. It is worth noting that UPSC is headed by a chairman and can have a maximum of ten members, but currently only has seven members. This is three less than its sanctioned strength.

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