UPSC Chairman resigns five years before end of his tenure, cites 'personal reasons'

Soni has cited ‘personal reasons’ as the reason for seeking superannuation, news agency PTI reported.

He had handed in his resignation 15 days ago, according to the report.

The resignation has not been accepted yet by the top management.

His resignation is "not in any way connected to controversies and allegations surrounding the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) after probationary IAS officer Puja Khedkar issue came to the fore," they said, according to a report in the media.

Soni took oath as the chairman of the UPSC on May 16, 2023 and his term was to end on May 15, 2029. He has tendered his resignation five years before the end of his tenure.

Despite taking over as the chairman of the Commission, sources said that was not keen on assuming the post and wanted to be relieved, according to media reports.

His request, however, was not accepted at the time. Soni has now desired to devote more time to “socio-religious activities”, the official sources said.

Before joining the UPSC, Soni was the Vice Chancellor for three different universities. He became India's youngest Vice Chancellor when he took the position at The Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU) of Baroda from April 2005 to April 2008.

Soni's resignation comes amid a criminal case against trainee IAS officer Puja Khedkar and her family, filed by the UPSC, for allegedly faking her identity to gain extra attempts for the public service exam.

Khedkar gained notoriety after being transferred out of Pune before completing her training due to accusations of abusing her power and privileges as a bureaucrat.

After Khedkar's case emerged, social media users began pointing out instances where current IAS and IPS officers allegedly used fake certificates to claim benefits meant for Other Backward Classes (non-creamy layer) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS).

Users have shared names, photos, and details of some IAS and IPS officers, calling for police action against those using fraudulent certificates.