Did UPSC rank holder Poorva Choudhary misuse OBC quota? Father reacts to viral claims
Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Civil Services Examination (CSE) 2024 rank-holder Poorva Choudhary's father has responded to allegations made by several social media users over her use of the Other Backward Class (OBC) Non-Creamy Layer (NCL) quota.Poorva, who secured AIR 533 in the examination, has found herself at the receiving end of the internet, with users alleging she availed of the OBC NCL quota without being eligible for it.advertisementDismissing the claims, her father, Omprakash Saharan, a Rajasthan Administrative Service (RAS) officer currently posted as Additional District Collector in Kotputli, said people simply did not understand how the rules worked.
'In the case of direct RAS recruitment before the age of 40, the OBC NCL benefit does not apply. I became an RAS officer at 44. So, the claim that my daughter misused the certificate is completely untrue,' he told India Today.Saharan added that the same rule applies to promotions or appointments in Class I roles; if done before 40, the child becomes ineligible for OBC NCL. 'That's not my case,' he clarified.Pointing out how quickly misinformation spreads online, he said, 'People follow herd mentality. UPSC is a trending topic right now, and many use it to gain views and followers.'advertisementHe went a step further and claimed that certain social media groups, particularly in Delhi, were behind such narratives. 'There's a lobby that thrives on this. We've done nothing wrong,' he told India Today.The backlash began after Poorva's sister, Navya Saharan, posted a video on Instagram celebrating the result. The reel, featuring pictures of Poorva, including one outside the UPSC building, was captioned: 'Cleared UPSC while serving this face card.' The clip soon went viral.Take a look at the viral post here:
But the tone shifted when users noticed 'OBC NCL' listed on the official results. Speculation followed as users started questioning her eligibility, considering the fact that her father is an ADM.However, a section of the internet did point out that her father was promoted to RAS, a Group A post, at the age of 45, which technically keeps Poorva within the eligibility window for OBC-NCL benefits.As per government norms, children of Group A officers promoted after the age of 40 are still eligible for reservation benefits, provided the family's income (excluding agricultural income) does not exceed Rs 8 lakh annually.advertisementBut the debate online appears less about legality and more about perception.Poorva, who earlier posted about her result, saying the moment was 'sealed with sabr and shukrana,' has now deactivated or disabled her Instagram account.Some users claim the now-deleted posts from Poorva's profile suggested a lavish lifestyle, which sparked more questions around eligibility.Notably, Poorva, a resident of Bolawali village in Rajasthan's Hanumangarh district, has her maternal home in Bhadra and is related to the region's current MLA, Sanjeev Beniwal.This isn't the first time the OBC NCL debate has made headlines. In 2023, IAS officer Pooja Khedkar (AIR 841) faced similar allegations of misusing the OBC category. Her father's election affidavit reportedly listed assets worth Rs 40 crore and an annual income of Rs 43 lakh, well above the permissible limit.(With inputs from Gulam Nabi)
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