Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Chairman Manoj Soni has resigned from his post citing “personal reasons”. Official sources gave this information on Saturday. Sony's tenure was scheduled to end in May 2029.

Sources said Soni's resignation after the case of probationary IAS (Indian Administrative Service) officer Pooja Khedkar came to light “has nothing to do with the issues raised at the Union Public Service Commission”.

A source said, “The UPSC chairman submitted his resignation a fortnight ago due to personal reasons. It has not been accepted yet.”

Noted educationist Soni (59) assumed charge as a member of the commission on June 28, 2017. He was sworn in as the UPSC Chairman on May 16, 2023 and his tenure was scheduled to end on May 15, 2029.

According to sources, Soni was not interested in becoming the UPSC chairman and requested to be relieved of the post, but his request was not accepted then. He said Sony now wants to devote more time to “socio-religious activities”.

The UPSC on Friday said it has initiated series of proceedings against probationer IAS officer Pooja Khedkar for using fake identity documents to get more chances to appear in the civil services examination. The commission filed a criminal case against Khedkar after a 'thorough investigation' into allegations of misconduct.

It also issued a show cause notice to him canceling his candidature for Civil Services Examination-2022 and barring him from appearing in future examinations.

Ever since the case of alleged abuse of power and privileges by Khedkar came to light, social media has been abuzz with claims and counter-claims about the use of fake certificates by IAS and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers.

Social media users have shared the names, photographs and other details of some IAS and IPS officers, claiming that they have faked them to claim benefits available to those belonging to Other Backward Classes (Non-Creamy Layer) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). Certificates have been used.

Let us tell you that before his appointment in UPSC, Soni had completed three terms as Vice Chancellor. He Dr. Served two consecutive terms as Chancellor of Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University (BAOU), Gujarat from 1 August 2009 to 31 July 2015 and one term as Vice Chancellor of Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU), Baroda from April. 2005 to April 2008. Complete.

During his appointment at MSU, Soni became the youngest vice chancellor of a university in India. Soni, a scholar of international relations and political science, taught international relations at Sardar Patel University (SPU), Vallabh Vidyanagar.

UPSC is headed by a Chairman and can have a maximum of 10 members. At present UPSC has seven members, which is three less than its sanctioned strength.