Who Is Pooja Soni? UPSC 2025 Top Ranker and Madhya Pradesh SDM Under Scanner in ₹30,000 Bribery Case
Pooja Soni, a young administrative officer from Madhya Pradesh who recently secured All India Rank (AIR) 249 in the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2025, has come under intense public scrutiny following a bribery case linked to the SDM office in Tendukheda.
The controversy erupted after the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), Jabalpur, arrested her stenographer, Saurabh Yadav, during a trap operation while he was allegedly accepting a bribe of ₹30,000 from a local builder. The case has drawn nationwide attention because Pooja Soni is expected to join the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) after successfully clearing the UPSC examination.
According to officials, the alleged bribe was demanded in exchange for issuing an inspection report related to approval of a residential colony layout project in Tendukheda, located in Madhya Pradesh’s Narsinghpur district.
The complainant, builder Sanjay Rai, alleged that his file had been deliberately delayed and that he was repeatedly pressured to pay money for release of the required inspection report. After allegedly facing continuous harassment, he approached the EOW and filed a formal complaint.
Acting on the complaint, the EOW conducted a trap operation on May 14 at the Tendukheda SDM office and reportedly caught stenographer Saurabh Yadav red-handed while accepting ₹30,000.
Investigators claim that during the operation, the accused stenographer allegedly stated that ₹5,000 was for himself while ₹25,000 was intended for “SDM Madam.” This alleged statement has now become one of the central elements of the investigation.
Authorities are also examining an audio recording reportedly linked to the case. According to reports, the complainant allegedly asked SDM Pooja Soni, “Madam, how may I serve you?” In response, she allegedly remarked that “whatever your shraddha dictates, you may do,” though investigators are still verifying the authenticity and context of the recording.
At present, an FIR has been registered against stenographer Saurabh Yadav under provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Officials confirmed that the investigation is also examining the possible involvement of SDM Pooja Soni and office peon Sunil Kumar.
However, no formal charges have yet been filed against the SDM.
Responding to the controversy, Pooja Soni has categorically denied all allegations of wrongdoing. She stated that the No Objection Certificate (NOC) connected to the colony project had already been issued on May 12, two days before the trap operation took place.
According to her, the file process had begun on April 27 and was officially completed by May 12, making any alleged demand for bribe unnecessary. She publicly asserted that if anyone could prove she had accepted even a single rupee, she would immediately resign from government service.
Pooja Soni further claimed that her stenographer had already informed EOW officials that no discussion regarding any bribe had taken place with her.
The case has attracted even greater attention because of Pooja Soni’s remarkable academic and professional achievements. Hailing from Devendranagar in Madhya Pradesh’s Panna district, she comes from a modest background. Her father, Mahesh Soni, is a farmer, while her mother runs a small utensils shop.
She completed her schooling at Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, securing 89 percent marks in Class 10 and 87 percent in Class 12. She later graduated in Engineering from Jabalpur Engineering College in 2018 with an impressive 91 percent score.
Pooja Soni is widely known for clearing three of India’s toughest competitive examinations. In the MPPSC 2019 examination, she secured Rank 3. She later cleared the Uttar Pradesh PCS examination in 2020 with Rank 12 and joined the Uttar Pradesh administration as a Deputy Collector trainee.
Her national-level success continued when she cleared the UPSC Civil Services Examination 2021 with AIR 401, qualifying for the Indian Police Service (IPS). In 2025, she improved her performance further by securing AIR 249, positioning herself for induction into the IAS.
Before the current controversy surfaced, she was serving as SDM of Tendukheda and had earned recognition locally for action against illegal colonies, administrative irregularities and civic issues such as water supply management.
An additional twist in her career journey emerged because the final results of the MPPSC 2019 examination had remained stalled for years due to reservation-related legal disputes. During that period, she shifted to the Uttar Pradesh administration through the UP PCS route. However, once the MPPSC results were officially released in late 2023 confirming her Rank 3 position, she resigned from her UP posting and returned to Madhya Pradesh to serve in her home state administration.
The investigation into the Tendukheda bribery case remains ongoing, and authorities are continuing to analyse voice recordings, documentary evidence and other materials collected during the probe.
