Former army officer and UPSC mentor SPS Oberoi has claimed that one of his students who cleared the civil services examination in 2023 received a staggering dowry offer of Rs 125 crore, highlighting what he described as an extreme social obsession with India's elite bureaucracy.
Speaking during an ANI podcast, Oberoi said the craze surrounding civil servants has moved beyond the appeal of government jobs and become deeply linked to status, marriage alliances and social prestige.
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“One of my students, in the 2023 results, got a dowry offer of Rs 125 crore. I was like, ‘Are you nuts? Why such craze? Why work at all after that?'” Oberoi said while discussing the culture around UPSC toppers and matchmaking within the bureaucracy.
The remarks came in response to a question on networking and marriage discussions at Lal Bahadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, where India's top civil servants undergo training.
“It's all about social status — ‘My son-in-law is an IPS officer.' You get my point?” he added.
Oberoi also criticised the elitist culture often associated with the bureaucracy, recalling a video in which an IPS officer allegedly ignored a constable's salute.
“I saw a reel a couple of months ago. An IPS officer gets out of a car, a constable standing there gives him a tight salute, and he did not even look at him,” he said.
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Drawing a comparison with the armed forces, Oberoi said, “In the armed forces, we are taught that every salute must be returned with a salute.”
“What is the use of a rank or an education that takes away your humanity?” he added.
The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) conducts the Civil Services Examination, regarded as one of India's toughest competitive exams, for recruitment to prestigious services including the IAS, IPS, IFS and other central Group A and Group B posts.
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