Manoj Soni, the Chairperson of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), has resigned nearly five years before the end of his term. According to multiple media reports, Soni’s resignation was due to “personal reasons.” Soni joined the UPSC as a member in 2017 and was appointed Chairperson on May 16, 2023.
His term was initially scheduled to conclude in 2029. The reports suggested that Soni submitted his resignation approximately a month ago, though it remains uncertain whether it will be accepted.
The resignation is not related to recent controversies involving candidates who allegedly secured seats through fake certificates. Soni reportedly submitted his resignation to the President of India, but the government has not yet acted on it. The process for appointing a new Chairperson has also not been announced.
Soni was closely associated with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who appointed him as Vice-Chancellor of Vadodara’s MS University in 2005, making him the youngest Vice-Chancellor in India at the time. Prior to his UPSC role, Soni served three terms as Vice-Chancellor at two universities in Gujarat, including two terms at Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University (BAOU) until 2015.
The UPSC, established under Article 315-323 of Part XIV Chapter II of the Indian Constitution, is led by a Chairperson and up to ten other members. Under Soni’s leadership, the commission included seven other members: Dinesh Dasa, former Chairman of the Gujarat Public Service Commission; BB Swain, a former Gujarat cadre IAS officer; Sheel Vardhan Singh, a former IPS officer; Sanjay Verma, a former diplomat; and Preeti Sudan, former Union Health Secretary.