Retd. IAS officer Preeti Sudan appointed as chairperson of UPSC after Manoj Soni resigns

The Union Public Service Commission on Wednesday appointed IAS officer Preeti Sudan as its new chairperson, effective August 1.

Sudan, a 1983 batch IAS officer from the Karnataka cadre, will serve until April 2025. She previously held the position of Union Food Secretary. Sudan is the second woman to lead the UPSC, following R.M. Bathew, who served as chairperson in 1996.

Earlier on July 20, UPSC chairman Manoj Soni resigned citing personal reasons before the expiry of his tenure in May 2029.

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His resignation came amid the ongoing controversy involving UPSC candidates allegedly securing employment with fake certificates. ANI reported citing sources that that the resignation was unrelated to the scandal involving trainee Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Puja Khedkar, who is accused of falsifying identity documents and presenting a disability certificate to gain entry into the service.

Since the case of Puja Khedkar's misuse of power and privileges emerged, social media has been inundated with claims and counterclaims regarding the use of fake certificates by serving Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers.

Social media users have circulated names, photos, and other details of some IAS and IPS officers, alleging that they used fraudulent certificates to obtain benefits intended for Other Backward Class (non-creamy layer) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) categories.

A scholar of political science specializing in international relations, Soni taught at Sardar Patel University (SPU) in Vallabh Vidyanagar from 1991 to 2016, excluding his tenure as Vice-Chancellor at the two universities. He has received numerous awards and recognitions and has published extensively.

The UPSC, which is led by a chairman and can have up to ten members, currently has seven members, three short of its full complement.

(With inputs from agencies)