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Sanjay Popli Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated October 14, 2026 • 3 min read

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Quick Info

Date of birth21 September 1963

Age59 Years

BirthplaceAmritsar, Punjab

ProfessionIAS officer, Professor

NationalityIndian

Marital statusMarried

SpouseShree Popli

FamilySon: Kartik Popli; Father: K.C. Popli; Mother: Usha Popli (d. 17 August 2020)

Sanjay Popli Biography

Sanjay Popli is an Indian administrative officer and former college professor from Amritsar, Punjab. A member of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) by

Early life and background

Sanjay Popli was born on 21 September 1963 in Amritsar, Punjab. He attended St. Francis School in Amritsar and went on to study at Hindu College, Amritsar and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar. His academic qualifications include bachelor’s degrees in English Literature and Geography, an M.A. in English, and an M.Phil. in American Literature. He speaks Hindi, Punjabi, English and Urdu.

Career

Popli began his professional life in academia, working as a professor of English and American Literature at St. Bede’s College, Shimla from July 1990 until May 1992. He entered the Provincial Civil Service and received allotment in 1992, subsequently serving in district-level roles including as a sub-divisional magistrate. In 2008 he was allotted to the Indian Administrative Service from the Punjab cadre against vacancies under the State Civil Service quota.

As an IAS officer, Popli held several departmental appointments in the Punjab government. Positions attributed to him include Special Secretary for Social Security — Women & Child Development (from 24 August 2017 to 15 July 2018); Special Secretary in the Department of Cooperation focusing on Agricultural Marketing and Cooperation (from 16 July 2018 to 23 September 2019); Director of Sports & Youth Affairs (from 24 September 2019), with additional charge as Special Secretary — Sports & Youth Services; and Chief Executive Officer of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board. In May 2022 he was appointed Commissioner for persons with disabilities and Director of Pensions.

Popli’s service record also includes periods in the Industries Department and in welfare-related departments such as Welfare of SC and BC and Pensions. His career path included internal administrative challenges: he faced adverse remarks in an Annual Confidential Report in 2003–04 and pursued legal petitions related to promotion and seniority, including petitions concerning consideration for elevation to the IAS with retrospective effect.

Public profile

Popli has been publicly associated with cricket and was recognized as Best Bowler in a match between Punjab Governor’s IAS Eleven and Haryana Governor’s IAS Eleven in 2017. He is described as having a height of approximately 178 cm (about 5'10"), with black hair and black eyes.

Personal life

Sanjay Popli is married to Shree Popli. The couple lived in Chandigarh at House No. 520, Sector 11. His parents are named K.C. Popli and Usha Popli; his mother died on 17 August 2020 in PGIMER, Chandigarh. The couple’s son, Kartik Popli, was a law graduate preparing for judicial service examinations and died on 25 June 2022.

Controversies and legal matters

In June 2022 Popli became the subject of high-profile legal and investigative actions. He was arrested on 20 June 2022 in connection with allegations of bribery related to a sewerage tender. Authorities also reported the recovery of ammunition from his residence during related raids, and the police registered a case under the Arms Act. Subsequent charges filed later in June 2022 included allegations of extortion, providing false evidence, and criminal conspiracy.

During a raid of the family home on 25 June 2022, Popli’s son Kartik sustained a fatal gunshot injury; Popli and his family publicly contested the circumstances of Kartik’s death, while police described the event as a self-inflicted gunshot discovered during the operation. Reports from the period also note that investigators recovered quantities of gold, silver and other items from the residence during the raids.

Latest updates

As of mid-2022, Popli’s career and public profile were marked by the legal proceedings and investigations described above. The most recent cited official appointment prior to those events was his May 2022 designation as Commissioner for persons with disabilities and Director of Pensions.

Editorial Review and Sources

This F4U profile is written from publicly available career and profile information, then reviewed for clarity before publication. If you spot an outdated detail about Sanjay Popli, send the page URL and a reliable correction source to f4udotin@gmail.com.

Reference context: StarsUnfolded

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Recent Work

Commissioner for persons with disabilities and Director of Pensions

Appointed in May 2022 to oversee disability and pensions administration in Punjab

2022
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Career Highlights

  1. Professor of English and American Literature at St. Bede’s College, Shimla (1990–1992)
  2. Allotted to Provincial Civil Service in 1992
  3. Allotted to Indian Administrative Service (Punjab cadre) in 2008
  4. Special Secretary — Social Security — Women & Child Development (2017–2018)
  5. Special Secretary — Department of Cooperation (2018–2019)
  6. Director — Sports & Youth Affairs (from 2019)
Reviewed by F4U Editorial Desk

F4U profile pages are prepared from public career information, checked for readability, and updated when reliable correction sources are shared with the editorial team.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Sanjay Popli born?

Sanjay Popli was born on 21 September 1963.

What is Sanjay Popli known for?

Sanjay Popli is known for iAS officer, Professor.

What is Sanjay Popli’s marital status?

Sanjay Popli's marital status is listed as Married.

Who is Sanjay Popli married to?

Sanjay Popli is publicly listed as married to Shree Popli.