Noida's Wardah Khan who quit corporate job makes it into UPSC top 20
Noid (PTI): Noida resident Wardah Khan who quit her corporate job to prepare for the civil services secured the 18th rank in the UPSC exam 2023, opting for the IFS as her first preference to further the image of India at global platforms.
The exam results were announced on Tuesday by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
The 24-year-old UPSC exam qualifier says she opted for the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) as her first preference as she wishes to make the country proud at global platforms.
"Like every other aspirant, when we start our journey, we dream of finding our name on the result list. But getting into the top 20 was unimaginable, I had not imagined to be able to be in the top 20. It's a dreamy feeling right now. Everyone in my family is very happy and beaming with pride," Khan told PTI.
"I have opted for the Indian Foreign Service as my first preference, so I would like to further the image of India across global platforms and multilateral institutions and help our Indian diaspora abroad," she added.
A resident of Vivek Vihar in Noida's Sector 82, Khan pursued her Bachelors in Commerce (Honours) from the Khalsa College of Delhi University. The only child of her parents, she lives with her mother. Her father passed away nine years ago.
On how she got inclined towards UPSC, Khan said that during her college days, she always had an interest in geopolitics, in subjects such as history and polity.
She used to participate in debates and MUNs (mock United Nations) during her college days but even then the idea of taking up civil services as a career path had not come to her.
It was during her job tenure that Khan realised she wanted to become a civil servant.
"I worked for a corporate firm for eight months. That didn't sort of satisfy me. I wanted to give back to the society and wanted to work for my country and transform the lives of the people," she said.
"I realised the kind of syllabus and opportunities that this career (civil services) offers aligns with my interest and I decided to pursue it and quit my job," she added.
Khan said she prepared at home but also took online coaching from a private institution for a year.
Sharing her tips for UPSC exam aspirants, Khan said there are a few postulates that every candidate should keep in mind.
"First and foremost, you have to be very thorough with the basics like NCERT and Polity by Laxmikant. These are the basic books that you have to be thorough with," she said.
"You also must have made proper syllabus heads of your mains and your optional should also be prepared with notes before the cycle communities. These are some of the things that must be kept in mind," Khan added.
A total of 1,016 candidates -- 664 men and 352 women -- have qualified in the examination and have been recommended by the UPSC for appointment to various services.
Aditya Srivastava, a trainee Indian Police Service officer, has topped the civil services examination.
Animesh Pradhan, Donuru Ananya Reddy, PK Sidharth Ramkumar and Ruhani have secured the second, third, fourth and the fifth ranks, respectively.
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SC stays CBI probe into West Bengal govt officials' role in teacher recruitment scam
New Delhi, Apr 29: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed a Calcutta High Court order directing the CBI to probe the role of West Bengal government officials in a teacher recruitment scam. It, however, refused to stay for now the cancellation of the appointment of over 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff.
The top court was hearing a plea by the West Bengal government against a high court order invalidating the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff made by the School Service Commission (SSC) in state-run and state-aided schools.
A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Manoj Misra, however, refused to stay the high court order cancelling the appointments and said it will hear the matter on May 6.
Observing that taking away the jobs of about 25,000 persons is a serious matter, the top court asked if it is possible to segregate the valid and invalid appointments on the basis of the material available and who the beneficiaries of the fraud are.
"We will stay the direction which says the CBI (Central Bureau of Investigation) will undertake further investigation against officials in the state government," the bench said.
Calcutta High Court had said the CBI would undertake further investigations with regard to the persons in the state government involved in approving the creation of supernumerary posts to accommodate illegal appointments.
If necessary, the CBI will undertake custodial interrogation of such persons involved, it had said.
Challenging the order, the state government, in its appeal filed before the top court, said the high court cancelled the appointments "arbitrarily".
"The high court failed to appreciate the ramification of cancelling the entire selection process, leading to straightaway termination of teaching and non-teaching staff from service with immediate effect, without giving sufficient time to the petitioner state to deal with such an exigency, rendering the education system at a standstill," the plea said.
Calcutta High Court last week declared the selection process as "null and void" and directed the CBI to probe the appointment process. It also asked the central agency to submit a report within three months.
"All appointments granted in the selection processes involved being violative of articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution of India, are declared null and void and cancelled," the high court said in its April 22 order.
The high court said those appointed outside the officially available 24,640 vacancies, appointed after the expiry of the official date of recruitment, and those who submitted blank Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets but obtained appointment to return all remunerations and benefits received by them with 12 per cent interest per annum within four weeks.
Observing that it had given "anxious consideration to the passionate plea" that persons who obtained the appointments legally would be prejudiced if the entire selection process was cancelled, the bench said it hardly had any choice left.
The high court held that all appointments involved were violative of articles 14 (equality before law) and 16 (prohibiting discrimination in employment in any government office) of the Constitution.
"It is shocking that, at the level of the cabinet of the state government, a decision is taken to protect employment obtained fraudulently in a selection process conducted by SSC for state-funded schools, knowing fully well that, such appointments were obtained beyond the panel and after expiry of the panel, at the bare minimum," the high court had said.
It said unless "there is a deep connection between the persons perpetuating the fraud and the beneficiaries" with persons involved in the decision-making process, such action to create supernumerary posts to protect illegal appointments is "inconceivable".
The division bench had also rejected a prayer by some appellants, including the SSC, for a stay on the order and asked the commission to initiate a fresh appointment process within a fortnight from the date of the results of the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
The bench, constituted by the high court chief justice on a direction of the Supreme Court, had heard 350 petitions and appeals relating to the selection of candidates for appointment by the SSC in the categories of teachers of classes 9, 10, 11 and 12 and group-C and D staffers through the SLST-2016.
In its 282-page judgment, the high court had said retaining appointees selected through "such a dubious process" would be contrary to public interest.
