Sanjay Popli

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sanjay Popli

• Sanjay Popli is a former Indian professor and an IAS officer who was arrested over corruption charges on 20 June 2022.

• After completing his formal education, he served as a Professor of English and American Literature at St. Bede’s College, Shimla from July 1990 to May 1992.

• He became a PCS officer in 1992 after which he was posted as SDM in various districts of Punjab.

• While he was serving as the SDM of Jalalabad in 1997, he had a quarrel with a police officer, following which he was transferred.

• He was given adverse remarks in his Annual Confidential Report (ACR) for the year 2003-2004. His general assessment read,
  

  He was found of ‘eloping’ from sub-divisional headquarters which an SDM can ill afford. Refused to mend his ways in spite of repeated advice/warnings.”

  At that time, he had filed a case for being granted the designation of Joint Secretary and for placement in the pay scale admissible in relation to the designation.

• Following his allotment as an IAS officer in the Punjab cadre in 2008, Popli had to fight a legal battle to be elevated to the position. He was reportedly denied an integrity certificate by the then Chief Secretary. Popli was in­cluded in the com­bined el­i­gi­bil­ity list of va­can­cies for consideration for pro­mo­tion to the IAS, from 2010 to 2013 con­sec­u­tively. In 2016, he filed a pe­ti­tion in the Cen­tral Ad­min­is­tra­tive Tri­bunal (CAT) for con­sid­er­ing his pro­mo­tion for the In­dian Ad­min­is­tra­tive Ser­vice with ret­ro­spec­tive ef­fect from 2010. Po­pli said the UPSC had re­jected his rep­re­sen­ta­tion on the ba­sis of his ACR (for the year 2007-08). He ac­cused the IAS branch of the Pun­jab gov­ern­ment of prob­a­bly tam­per­ing with and mis­rep­re­sent­ing his records.

• After his elevation to the IAS, Popli served in the Industries Department, Welfare of SC and BC Department, Pensions, etc.

• Since childhood, he was fond of playing cricket. He earned the title of Best Bowler during a cricket match between Punjab Governor’s IAS Eleven and Haryana Governor’s IAS Eleven, which was held at Punjab Cricket Association IS Bindra Stadium, Mohali.

  

• He can speak four languages, Hindi, Punjabi, English, and Urdu.