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Time of India
04-05-2025
- General
- Time of India
Is UPSC rank holder Poorva Choudhary's OBC quota valid? RAS officer father speaks out on viral accusations
What began as a joyous celebration of cracking one of India's toughest exams soon turned into a storm of accusations for Poorva Choudhary , the UPSC 2024 All India Rank 533 holder. A video posted by her sister, featuring the caption 'Cleared UPSC while serving this face card,' initially drew admiration. But the mood on social media shifted drastically when eagle-eyed users noticed the letters "OBC" against her name in the results. #Pahalgam Terrorist Attack India much better equipped to target cross-border terror since Balakot India conducts maiden flight-trials of stratospheric airship platform Pakistan shuts ports for Indian ships after New Delhi bans imports from Islamabad The ensuing backlash saw Poorva accused of availing the OBC Non-Creamy Layer (NCL) quota despite allegedly not being eligible. Her celebratory post was quickly buried under an avalanche of suspicion, criticism, and moral outrage, pushing the young aspirant to deactivate or disable her Instagram account. Father Refutes 'Quota Misuse' Claims Facing growing scrutiny, Poorva's father, a Rajasthan Administrative Services (RAS) officer, addressed the allegations in an interview with India Today , firmly stating: 'The claim that my daughter misused the certificate is completely untrue.' Play Video Pause Skip Backward Skip Forward Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration 0:00 Loaded : 0% 0:00 Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 1x Playback Rate Chapters Chapters Descriptions descriptions off , selected Captions captions settings , opens captions settings dialog captions off , selected Audio Track default , selected Picture-in-Picture Fullscreen This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Text Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Caption Area Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Opacity Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Drop shadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Shooter Action MMO Crossout Play Now He clarified that he was promoted to the RAS cadre at the age of 44, well beyond the eligibility cutoff of 40 for excluding children of Group A officers from OBC NCL benefits. According to government norms, if a parent enters a Group A post after 40, the child remains eligible—provided the family's annual income (excluding agricultural earnings) stays below ₹8 lakh. 'In the case of direct RAS recruitment before the age of 40, the OBC NCL benefit does not apply. That's not my case,' he said, urging people to understand the rules before jumping to conclusions. You Might Also Like: What are the odds? Four UPSC 2025 rank holders come from the same DU college, same department and from consecutive batches 'Social Media is the Real Lobby' But the story doesn't end at legal definitions. Poorva's father alleged that the controversy had less to do with rules and more with orchestrated online narratives. 'There's a lobby that thrives on this,' he said, hinting at certain Delhi-based social media groups. He attributed the uproar to herd mentality, with people riding the UPSC trend wave to farm engagement, likes, and followers. His statement comes amid rising online chatter over privilege, optics, and reservation dynamics—often ignoring the nuances that actually govern eligibility under constitutional provisions. — TirhutDivision (@TirhutDivision) The Optics of Lifestyle vs Legal Entitlement Critics have also flagged alleged 'lavish' posts from Poorva's now-deleted Instagram profile, arguing that her lifestyle seemed inconsistent with a reserved-category background. However, as many netizens and policy experts point out, lifestyle optics—often misunderstood or exaggerated on social media—have no bearing on one's legal entitlement to reservation benefits. Poorva's maternal home is in Bhadra, and she hails from Bolawali village in Hanumangarh, Rajasthan. She is also related to local MLA Sanjeev Beniwal, further fueling the perception-based backlash, despite no official rule violation being established. You Might Also Like: Techie, who couldn't crack UPSC, shares nostalgic pic of pens she used during preparation. Post goes viral Screenshot of Instagram post from Poorva's sister. Déjà Vu of a Different Kind This isn't the first time a UPSC topper has found themselves in the eye of such a storm. In 2023, IAS probationer Pooja Khedkar (AIR 841) was accused of misusing the OBC category and forging certificates. Her father's affidavit reportedly revealed assets and income far above permissible limits. The case ended in her dismissal from the civil services . — VijayKumbhar62 (@VijayKumbhar62) However, unlike that case, Poorva's eligibility appears to be legally sound—though the online trial continues. Behind the Hashtags At its core, this is more than a bureaucratic eligibility debate. It's a story about how a celebratory moment for a young woman was turned upside down by a swirl of hashtags, half-truths, and assumptions. While Poorva may be absent from social media for now, the conversation about reservation, representation, and public scrutiny in the digital age is far from over. Whether the storm dies down or intensifies, one thing remains clear: in the era of instant virality, even a hard-earned dream can become a lightning rod overnight.
India Today
04-05-2025
- General
- India Today
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) 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 the debate online appears less about legality and more about who earlier posted about her result, saying the moment was 'sealed with sabr and shukrana,' has now deactivated or disabled her Instagram users claim the now-deleted posts from Poorva's profile suggested a lavish lifestyle, which sparked more questions around 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 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)
