(File Photo)

New Delhi: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), India’s premier recruitment body for All India and Central Civil Services, is currently without a chairperson following the retirement of its head, Preeti Sudan, on April 29. The central government is yet to appoint a successor.

The Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions appoints the UPSC chairperson. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is the concerned minister, Jitendra Singh is its minister of state.

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Sudan, formerly the Union Health Secretary, was appointed UPSC chairperson in July 2024, following the sudden resignation of the then incumbent Manoj Soni amid a massive controversy. The Commission had allowed IAS probationer Puja Khedkar to appear for the examination around nine times, using fake disability certificates.

Soni had joined the Commission as a member in 2017 and was expected to remain in the chairperson post until May 2029 after his appointment in May 2023.

His appointment had already attracted criticism due to his proximity to the BJP and RSS and his affiliation with the Swaminarayan sect in Gujarat.

Soni, who was the vice-chancellor of MS University, Vadodara, is said to have served as one of PM Modi’s speechwriters, who was the Gujarat Chief Minister at the time.

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According to The Wire, it has been three days since Sudan’s retirement, but no one has been named her successor.

UPSC members usually serve a tenure of six years or till the age of 65, whichever is earlier. Currently, UPSC has six members, although it can accommodate up to ten members besides the chairperson.