New Delhi: The sudden resignation of Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) chairman Manoj Soni five years before the end of his tenure has raised eyebrows, given that the government has kept the information under wraps for about a month now since he put in his papers. The development comes close on the heels of a massive controversy raked up by IAS probationer Puja Khedkar, who allegedly faked her identity to enter civil services.
The government is yet to accept Soni’s resignation, ThePrint has learnt.
Soni, who became a ‘monk’ in 2020 after taking diksha from Gujarat-based Anoopam Mission, affiliated to the Swaminarayan sect, had put in his papers a month earlier citing personal reasons, a source in the government told ThePrint on condition of anonymity.
A second source, an individual close to Soni, confirmed that he sent his resignation letter to the government in June this year.
Both sources maintained that Soni’s resignation as chairman had nothing to do with the controversy surrounding Khedkar. A 2023-batch IAS officer, she was directed to leave her training in Maharashtra midway and report to LBSNAA in light of allegations that she wrongfully relied on disability and caste certificates to gain entry into the civil services.
On Friday, the UPSC took decisive action against the trainee IAS officer by filing a criminal case and issuing a show cause notice for the cancellation of her candidature from the Civil Services Examination 2022. Additionally, she faces potential debarment from appearing for civil services examinations in the future.
As for Soni, many within the government were surprised as to why the UPSC chairman’s resignation was kept under wraps for nearly a month.
The government is yet to declare the name of his successor.
Set up in 1926, UPSC conducts examinations for recruitment to various central government jobs including the civil services every year. Besides the chairman, there are 10 members in the UPSC who are either retired bureaucrats or academicians or from the armed forces, among others.
Soni was appointed UPSC chairman in May 2023. He had been a member of the commission since June 2017.
His resignation as UPSC chairman also comes close on the heels of the central government shunting out National Testing Agency (NTA) Director General Subodh Kumar Singh.
Singh was shown the door after the NTA came under fire for failing to check alleged irregularities and malpractices in the NEET-UG and UGC-NET exams — the former was compromised in parts of the country and the latter cancelled on suspicion of a paper leak, which later turned out a hoax.
Reacting to news of Soni’s sudden resignation, the Congress party accused the Modi government of ‘nudging him out’ amidst the controversy around competitive examinations and the civil services. “The sanctity, character, autonomy, and professionalism of all Constitutional bodies have been badly damaged since 2014. But at times even the self-anointed non-biological PM is forced to say enough is enough,” Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh wrote on X.
Who is Manoj Soni
An educationist, Manoj Soni became a member of the UPSC on 28 June, 2017, and was appointed its chairperson on 16 May, 2023. His term was supposed to end in 2029.
Prior to joining the UPSC, he served as vice chancellor of the Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda from August 2009 to July 2015 and also vice chancellor of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University (BAOU) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, from April 2005 to April 2008.
At the time of his appointment as V-C of his alma mater Maharaja Sayajirao University, Soni was the youngest vice chancellor of a regular university in India at the age of 40.
According to the Maharaja Sayajirao University’s website, he completed his Ph.D. on “Post-Cold War International Systemic Transition and Indo-U.S. Relations” in 1996 from Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar, Gujarat.
In 2009, he became a member of the governing body of the Charotar University of Science and Technology (CHARUSAT) in Changa, Gujarat.
He has also served as academic counsellor at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), New Delhi. Soni was also founder-director of the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Centre at the Sardar Patel University in Vallabh Vidyanagar in Gujarat’s Anand.
Soni is a follower of the Gujarat-based Anoopam Mission, a non-profit affiliated with the Swaminarayan sect. Though he took diksha (a ritual of initiation) as a ‘nishkarma karmayogi’ (selfless worker) or ‘monk’ in January 2020, he has been associated with the mission from a young age.
The Anoopam Mission was founded in Mogri, Anand district by one Sant Bhagwant Sahebji.
The second source quoted earlier, an individual close to Soni, said the thought to step down as UPSC chairman had crossed Soni’s mind even earlier.
“But Soni’s guru, Sant Bhagwant Sahebji Maharaj, asked him to wait till he granted him permission. However, guru ji granted Soni permission to resign when he expressed his wish to resign a second time about a month back,” the source told ThePrint.
The source added that Soni, aged 60, believes he can still work 18-hour days.
“He (Soni) said that in 5, 10, or even 20 years, he might not have the same ability to contribute as he does now. Thus, he feels it is important to channel his energy and dedication into the Anoopam Mission’s work while he is still young and capable, making the most of his current capacity to serve and fulfil his responsibilities,” said the source.
As a ‘monk’ at the Anoopam Mission, Soni is expected to be involved in its activities “full-time” at the national and international level.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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