Former defence secretary Ajay Kumar was appointed chairman of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), according to a Union Personnel Ministry order on Tuesday (May 13). The post of UPSC chairman fell vacant after the completion of Preeti Sudan's tenure on April 29. Kumar's appointment was cleared by President Droupadi Murmu, according to the order.
A 1985-batch retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Kerala cadre, Kumar worked as defence secretary from August 23, 2019, to October 31, 2022, according to his service records.
The UPSC- which conducts civil services examinations to select officers for the IAS, Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and the Indian Police Service (IPS), among others- is headed by a chairman and can have a maximum of 10 members.
At present, there is a vacancy of two members in the commission. A UPSC chairman is appointed for a term of six years or until attaining 65 years of age.
Who is the new UPSC chairman Ajay Kumar?
Dr Ajay Kumar retired from service as Defence Secretary on October 31, 2022. As per the condition of service, he may continue to hold this coveted constitutional position up to October 2027. Dr Kumar replaces Preety Sudan (Retd IAS: 1983: AP), who completed her tenure as UPSC Chairman on April 29, 2025.
The UPSC is headed by a chairperson and can have a maximum of 10 members. The UPSC conducts the civil services examination annually in three stages- preliminary, main and interview.
Former bureaucrat Anuradha Prasad takes oath as UPSC member
Earlier, former bureaucrat Anuradha Prasad was sworn in as a Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) member. Prasad is a former Secretary of the Inter-State Council Secretariat under the Home Ministry.
The oath of office and secrecy was administered by Lt Gen Raj Shukla (retd), the senior most member of the Commission. Prasad belongs to the 1986 batch of the Indian Defence Accounts Service (IDAS). As the Secretary of the Inter-State Council Secretariat, she handled centre-state and inter-state relations and built consensus on many complex and sensitive issues resulting in key policy changes and expediting of infrastructure and other projects.
Post-retirement, Prasad served as a member of the Police Complaints Authority, the government of the national capital territory of Delhi. A UPSC member is appointed for a term of six years or until attaining 65 years of age. The UPSC, which conducts civil services examination to select officers for the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Foreign Service (IFS) and Indian Police Service (IPS), among others, is headed by a chairman and can have a maximum of 10 members.
With Prasad's appointment, there remain two more members' posts vacant. At present, the UPSC is working without a chairman, following the completion of tenure by Preeti Sudan on Tuesday.
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