Suspended Bihar IAS Sanjeev Hans inducted as Revenue Board member in latest reshuffle

Bihar’s controversial IAS officer Sanjeev Hans (IAS:1997:BR) has finally got a posting in the latest reshuffle undertaken by the Bihar government. He has been inducted as an additional member of the Revenue Board. Hans’s suspension had been revoked a few weeks back after getting bail in a money laundering case.

Earlier, he was put behind bars after being accused in a multi-crore money laundering case and was also accused of gang rape. He was part of an IAS reshuffle that has seen 16 officers transferred in the state.

The General Administrative Department (GAD) notified Hans’ rejoining on the new post along with the shuffle and additional charges allotted to 16 other senior IAS officers.

He was posted as the Principal Secretary in the energy department when the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested him in October 2024 following allegations of money laundering and corruption linked to irregularities in power sector tenders during his tenure.

Subsequently, he was put under judicial custody for about 10 months, during which he was stripped of administrative duties.

In October 2025, the Patna High Court granted him conditional bail, and the state govt lifted his suspension. Since then, he has been waiting for posting. Officials said that the decision to revoke his suspension and reinstate his service reflects ongoing legal developments. The investigation is still on.

Among the IAS officers who have been shuffled is Narmdeshwar Lal (IAS:1998:BR). Lal, who is currently posted with the sugarcane industries department, will be joining as the new Principal Secretary of the Agriculture Department.

Similarly, Vinay Kumar (IAS:1999:BR) has been posted as Principal Secretary in the Urban Development and Housing Department (UDHD), replacing Sandeep Kumar R Pudkalkatti (IAS:2006:BR). Pudkalkatti has been transferred to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Welfare Department as its Secretary. Vinay Kumar was also awaiting posting for the last few weeks.

Other changes effected by the reshuffle involve divisional commissioners: Prem Singh Meena (IAS:2000:BR) is the new commissioner of Munger division, Manish Kumar (IAS:2005:BR) shifted to Saran division, and Girivar Dayal Singh (IAS:2008:BR) will be taking over as the new commissioner of Tirhut division. These postings are expected to strengthen oversight in flood-prone and agriculturally rich areas.

According to govt sources, these transfers were effected with a view to align experienced officers with priority sectors ahead of the upcoming Budget Session and ongoing development programmes.

Govt officials term the recent transfers as having been effected to maintain momentum in governance, especially as the state has been grappling with challenges like migration, flooding, and economic diversification.