Clearing the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) exam is no small feat in India. It is one of the country's most competitive exams with a selection rate of just around 0.2 per cent. Among the 1,009 candidates who cleared the exam this year was Poorva Choudhary, who went viral on social media after she shared that she had cleared the exam. While her comment section was flooded with praises and congratulations initially, the sentiment soon shifted with people accusing her of misusing the OBC reservation quota.
Choudhary, who secured 533 rank, found herself embroiled in a huge controversy on social media in the last few days after people online found out that she used OBC-NCL (Other Backward Classes - Non-Creamy Layer) quota and accused her of misusing it, given her lifestyle.
Chaudhary’s father works in Rajasthan Administrative Services, according to a report by India Today. People online pointed this out and accused Chaudhary of using quota to clear UPSC while not being eligible for it.
“Poorva Choudhary a recent UPSC qualifier having a bag worth ₹4 lakhs along with a premium lifestyle which includes international trips. Her father is an ADM. Still she used OBC-NCL certificate to qualify the exam. Another day another scam in UPSC,” read a post on X (formerly Twitter).
“Poorva Chaudhary is also seen using OBC reservation while her Insta account shows a lavish lifestyle. Is the reservation system justice to socially backward or become a success ladder for 'privileged' backwards?” said another user on X.
{{/usCountry}}“Poorva Chaudhary is also seen using OBC reservation while her Insta account shows a lavish lifestyle. Is the reservation system justice to socially backward or become a success ladder for 'privileged' backwards?” said another user on X.
{{/usCountry}}Chaudhary, whose sister posted a congratulations post for her which went viral and garnered millions of views in a matter of days, has now deleted or disabled her Instagram account.
“Sibling goals? One cracked the most difficult exam in our country.The other’s writing this caption!!!” her sister had captioned the post.
Poorva Choudhary’s father reacts
After the controversy forced Poorva Choudhary to shut down her social media, her father, Omprakash Saharan, has spoken out in his daughter’s support and has rebutted the rumours. Saharan, who is posted as Additional District Collector in Kotputli in Rajasthan, told India Today that people did not understand the rules.
“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,” India Today quoted him as saying.
He added that a similar rule applies to appointments or promotions in Class I government jobs, meaning that if a person is appointed to be promoted to Class I government jobs, their children become ineligible for OBC NCL quota. However, that is not the case with him, Saharan said.