Amidst trainee officer Puja Khedkar's forgery investigation and general distrust which is brewing around the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), Chairperson of UPSC Manoj Soni has resigned and cited "personal reasons". He was sworn in as Chairperson on May 16, 2023, and has resigned over five years ahead of the end of his tenure in 2029.
However, it may be noted that the sources at the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) informed ANI that the resignation is yet to be accepted. It was informed that he resigned almost a month back. They also clarified that the resignation was not related to the ongoing controversy.
As per an exclusive by The Hindu, Manoj Soni hopes to dedicate more time to Anoopam Mission, a branch of the Swaminarayan Sect in Gujarat. In 2020, he became a nishkam karmayogi (monk) in the mission after receiving diksha (initiation).
Hailing from Gujarat, The Hindu exclusive report informed that he is supposedly close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and served for three terms as vice-chancellor of two universities in Gujarat, including MS University, Vadodara.
Just yesterday, July 19, the news was out that the UPSC had carried out an investigation into the misdemeanour allegation against Puja Khedkar and registered an FIR against her for availing attempts in the Civil Services exam by faking her identity.
