In a landmark judgment, the Allahabad High Court has held that a competent authority can’t refuse prosecution sanction against an official if it is recommended by the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). In that case, the authority must refer the disagreement to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), rather than take a final decision.
According to the court, the competent authority, other than the President, cannot take the final decision contrary to the CVC’s advice itself and must refer the disagreement to the DoPT.
On this basis, the court upheld the sanction granted against a National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) employee and dismissed his challenge to the prosecution sanction resulting in chargesheet, cognizance and summoning order in a corruption case.
The High Court was hearing a petition challenging a chargesheet for offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the NHAI’s prosecution-sanction order and the Special Judge’s order taking cognizance and summoning the petitioner for trial.
A bench of Justice Subhash Vidyarthi passed the judgment, saying if the CBI has sought sanction for prosecution and the CVC has recommended it, and yet the competent authority proposes refusal, the case should be referred to the DoPT for final decision and the disciplinary authority does not have the authority to take a final decision declining to grant sanction for prosecution of an employee.
The case arose from a complaint alleging that an NHAI official had demanded a bribe for processing a no-objection certificate (NOC) for a fuel station. The CBI arranged a trap in which the official allegedly accepted part of the bribe. According to the CBI, the official stated that he had received the money on the petitioner’s behalf.
The CBI subsequently included the petitioner as an accused and sought sanction for his prosecution. The NHAI was against the sanction prosecution initially. But after the CVC’s advice to the NHAI, the competent authority reconsidered the matter and sanctioned the prosecution.
The petitioner contended that the competent authority had already refused sanction twice and could not review those decisions without fresh material.
The NHAI stated that the CVC had advised it to grant sanction under the procedure prescribed by the DoPT’s Office Memoranda and that the sanction was thereafter granted upon reconsideration.
Senior Maharashtra IAS officer Tukaram Mundhe (IAS:2005:MH)’s effect is telling, as Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirants called off their 10-day agitation after the state govt accepted their demands to constitute an inquiry committee with Tukaram Mundhe in it, to probe alleged irregularities and paper leaks in the MPSC. Mundhe has been included as its secretary.
Citing ethical considerations, MPSC Chairman Vivek Bhimanwar has proceeded on leave until the competition of inquiry.
The aspirants’ other demands accepted by the govt include the withdrawal of cases against protesters, recruitment to 70,000 posts over three years, and background checks for MPSC chairman and secretary appointments.
A state government delegation led by minister Shivendra Raje Bhosale met the agitating aspirants and informed them that most of their demands, including the formation of an inquiry committee with officers such as Mundhe in key role in it, have been accepted by the state govt.
Mundhe is known for honesty and ruthlessness in approach. He has been a celebrity bureaucrat with a global audience with even the leading American newspaper, the New York Times, spotlighting the impact of his aggressive food safety drive in the state as Maharashtra Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner.
So, after the protesters were told that a committee had been formed with Mundhe as its secretary to probe into alleged irregularities concerning the MPSC that the protest was called off.
Vivekanad Patil, one of the representatives of the MPSC aspirants, announced the calling off of the agitation for now.
Other than FDA Commissioner Tukaram Mundhe, the committee will also have ex-judge Dilip Bhosale as chairman, IPS officer Laxmi Gautam, ex-IAS officer Ganesh Patil and retired judge P D Naik.
Srinagar: Senior IAS officer Govind Jaiswal (IAS:2007:AGMUT) is likely to be appointed Principal Secretary to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, according to sources.
Sources indicated that Jaiswal’s premature repatriation from central deputation and his transfer to the Jammu and Kashmir segment of the AGMUT cadre on October 9, 2026, were undertaken for a specific purpose. His possible appointment in the Lieutenant Governor’s Secretariat is being seen in the context of a vacancy in the office.
Notably, Mandeep K Bhandari (IAS:2001:AGMUT), who was serving as Principal Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor, was appointed Chairman of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on September 25, 2026, leaving the post vacant.
Chandigarh: The Haryana government on Saturday (October 10, 2026) issued transfer and posting orders for 13 IPS officers. In a key change, senior IPS officer Navdeep Singh Virk has been transferred from the Haryana State Enforcement Bureau and posted as Director General (DG) of the Haryana Human Rights Commission.
The names of the officers and their postings are as follows;
Navdeep Singh Virk (IPS:1994:HY), DG, Haryana State Enforcement Bureau; Director, Vigilance & Security, HPUs (H), Panchkula, has been transferred and posted as DG, Haryana Human Rights Commission.
Dr Mata Ravi Kiran (IPS:1996:HY), ADGP, SV & ACB, has been transferred and posted as ADGP, State Enforcement Bureau, Director Vigilance & Security, HPUs (H).
B Satheesh Balan (IPS:2004:HY), IGP, STF (H), Bhondsi, has been transferred and posted as IGP, Railways & Commando, Haryana.
Maneesh Chaudhary (IPS:2005:HY), IGP, Railways & Commando, with additional charge of IGP, Prisons, has been transferred and posted as IGP, SV & ACB (H), Panchkula with additional charge of IGP, Prisons.
Simardeep Singh (IPS:2007:HY), IGP, Rohtak Range, Rohtak & IGP, IRB, Bhondsi, has been transferred and posted as IGP, STF (H), Bhondsi with additional charge of Commissioner of Police, Jhajjar and IGP, IRB, Bhondsi.
Hamid Akhtar (IPS:2008:HY), IGP, HAP, Madhuban (awaiting posting orders), has been transferred and posted as IGP, Rohtak Range, Rohtak.
Deeraj Kumar (IPS-SPS:2014:HY), ADC to Governor with additional charge of SP, Lokyukta, has been transferred and posted as SP, PHQ, Punchkula.
Sumit Kumar (IPS-SPS:2014), SP, STF (H), has been given additional charge of Commandant, 4th Battalion, IRB, Manesar.
Vikrant Bhushan (IPS:2017:HY), SP, HSNCB, Panchkula, has been transferred and posted as DCP, Gohana, Sonipat.
Divyanshi Singla (IPS:2023:HY), ASP, Fatehabad, has been transferred and posted as Additional SP, Fatehabad.
Deepika Agarwal (IPS:2023:HY), ASP, Rewari, has been transferred and posted as Additional SP, Rewari.
Harshit Goel (IPS:2023:HY), ASP, Panipat, has been transferred and posted as Additional SP, Panipat.
Mayank Mudgil (IPS:2023:HY), ASP, Hisar, has been transferred and posted as Additional SP, Hisar.
Gaurav Tiwari IPS Profile: Gaurav Kumar Tiwari is a 2010-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Madhya Pradesh cadre. He joined the IPS on August 30, 2010, and holds a B.Tech degree. His home state is Uttar Pradesh.
During his career in Madhya Pradesh, Tiwari has served as Superintendent of Police in Balaghat, Katni, Chhindwara, Dewas and Ratlam. He has also served in the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) at Police Headquarters, Bhopal.
In May 2023, he was relieved from cadre responsibilities to join the Central Government on deputation as Director in the Cabinet Secretariat, New Delhi, for a four-year tenure. His career includes district policing assignments and work at the central level.
Gaurav Kumar Tiwari was born on 4 May 1982 in Uttar Pradesh. He studied engineering and graduated from IIT Kanpur. Before joining the civil services, he worked at Tata for around two years. He later prepared for the UPSC Civil Services Examination and qualified for the Indian Police Service.
After joining the IPS in 2010, he was allotted the Madhya Pradesh cadre. His early career included district-level policing responsibilities, which gave him experience in law enforcement and public administration.
Gaurav Tiwari IPS Posting History
Period / Date
Post / Position
Department / Organisation
2015
Superintendent of Police
Balaghat, Madhya Pradesh
2016
Superintendent of Police
Katni, Madhya Pradesh
2017
Superintendent of Police
Chhindwara, Madhya Pradesh
June–July 2018
Superintendent of Police
Dewas, Madhya Pradesh
July 2018 onwards
Superintendent of Police
Ratlam, Madhya Pradesh
2022–2023
Superintendent of Police, ATS
Police Headquarters, Bhopal
May 2023
Director
Cabinet Secretariat, New Delhi
2023–Present
On Central Deputation
Central Government
Gaurav Tiwari IPS Current Posting
Gaurav Kumar Tiwari is serving on central deputation. In May 2023, he was relieved from Madhya Pradesh cadre responsibilities to join as Director in the Cabinet Secretariat, New Delhi, for a four-year tenure.
Work as a Police Officer
During his tenure as SP in Katni, Tiwari came into the public spotlight following the investigation into an alleged hawala racket reported to involve hundreds of crores of rupees. His transfer from Katni in January 2017 attracted public attention, with some local residents reportedly protesting against the decision.
He subsequently served as SP in Chhindwara and Ratlam, among other assignments. His district-level responsibilities involved police administration, law and order, crime prevention and supervision of investigations.
His career later included a posting with the Anti-Terrorism Squad at the Madhya Pradesh Police Headquarters in Bhopal. In May 2023, he moved to central deputation, with a reported assignment as Director in the Cabinet Secretariat in New Delhi.
New Delhi: The Centre has appointed two officers as Chief Vigilance Officers (CVOs) in Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL), Dhanbad, and Madras Fertilizers Limited (MFL), Chennai.
According to separate orders issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Friday (October 9, 2026), the appointments have been approved for an initial period of three years from the date the officers assume charge of their respective posts or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Anjay Tiwari (IRTS:2013) has been appointed CVO in Bharat Coking Coal Limited, Dhanbad. His tenure will begin from the date he assumes charge on or after January 1, 2027, subject to further orders.
IAS officer A Muthamma (IAS:2009:AGMUT) has been appointed CVO in Madras Fertilizers Limited, Chennai, for an initial period of three years from the date she assumes charge or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
New Delhi: The Centre on Saturday (October 10, 2026) appointed five officers as Chief Vigilance Officers (CVOs) in MECON Limited, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), National Hydro Power Corporation Limited (NHPC), Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
According to separate orders issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Saturday (October 10, 2026), the appointments have been approved for an initial period of three years from the date the officers assume charge of their respective posts or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
The officers and their respective postings are as follows:
Hemraj Meena (IRSSE:2006) has been appointed CVO in MECON Limited, Ranchi.
Brahmananda Srivastava (ITS:2001) has been appointed CVO in the Airports Authority of India (AAI), Delhi.
Shalini Verma (IRS-IT:2004) has been appointed CVO in Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Delhi.
Debendra Dalai (IFoS:1999) has been appointed CVO in National Hydro Power Corporation Limited (NHPC), Delhi.
Shanker Lal Meghavanshi (ITS:2001) has been appointed CVO in Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL), Goa.
New Delhi: The Centre on Saturday (October 10, 2026) approved a major bureaucratic reshuffle at Joint Secretary or equivalent level, issuing appointment orders for 27 officers from various services across several ministries, departments and government organisations. Five officers have been appointed as Joint Secretaries in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) as part of the reshuffle.
The names of the officers and their new postings are as follows:
1. Brijesh Panday (IAS:2004:TR) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Capital Development for five years from the date of assuming charge or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Thara D (IAS:1995).
2. Nikhil Varma (IRS-IT:2005) has been appointed Additional Director General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), Delhi, under the Department of Commerce for five years from the date of assuming charge or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Vrunda Manohar Desai (IRS-IT:2003).
3. Tanvi Sundriyal (IAS:2010:MP) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs for a combined tenure of five years up to August 25, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. She will replace Rahul Jain (IAS:2005:MP).
4. Inderjeet Singh (IAS:2010:RJ) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Culture for a combined tenure of five years up to August 26, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Amita Prasad Sarbhai (IRAS:1993).
5. Prakash Rajpurohit (IAS:2010:RJ) has been appointed Deputy Election Commissioner in the Election Commission of India for a combined tenure of five years up to April 8, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Sanjay Kumar (IAS:2008:AGMUT).
6. Tamboli Ayyaj Fakirbhai (IAS:2009:CG) has been appointed Executive Director (Joint Secretary level) in the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) under the Department of Financial Services for a combined tenure of five years up to March 20, 2029, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
7. Rajesh Malik (IRSME:1994) has been appointed Executive Director in the Food Corporation of India (FCI), New Delhi, under the Department of Food and Public Distribution, for an overall tenure of five years up to February 5, 2029, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Ashutosh Joshi (IA&AS:1994).
8. Mohammed Y Safirulla K (IAS:2010:KL) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare for a combined tenure of five years up to August 27, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Nikhil Gajraj (IAS:2008:HY).
9. Ritu Sharma (IRS-IT:2005) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare for five years from the date of assuming charge or until further orders, whichever is earlier. She will replace Vandana Jain (CSS).
10. Varnali Deka (IAS:2009:AM) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the National Health Authority (NHA) under the Department of Health and Family Welfare for a combined tenure of five years up to August 28, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. She will replace Jyoti Yadav (IAS:2009:UK).
11. More Ashish Madhaorao (IAS:2006:AGMUT) has been appointed Additional Chief Executive Officer (Joint Secretary level) in the National Health Authority (NHA) under the Department of Health and Family Welfare for a combined tenure of five years up to June 15, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Madhu Rani Teotia (IAS:2008:AGMUT).
12. Vivek Khare (ITS:1996) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the National Testing Agency (NTA) under the Department of Higher Education for an overall tenure of five years up to December 2, 2029, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. The order also provides for temporarily upgrading a newly created post of Deputy Secretary/Director to Joint Secretary level in the NTA for an initial period of two years.
13. Ravi Shankar (IAS:2007:GJ) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs for a combined tenure of five years up to July 31, 2028, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace M Ramachandrudu (IAS:2009:BH).
14. Chittaranjan Dash (IRS-IT:1998) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs for an overall tenure of five years up to January 11, 2028, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Praveen Kumar Rai (IDAS:2003).
15. P Manoj Kumar (ISS:1998) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs for an overall tenure of five years up to December 1, 2027, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Parthasarathi Gurrala (CSS).
16. Abhishek Bhagotia (IAS:2007:AM) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs for a combined tenure of seven years up to April 3, 2029, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Nishtha Tiwari (IRS-IT:2005).
17. Navin Agarwal (IRPS:1997) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Legal Affairs for an overall tenure of five years up to March 14, 2027, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Ajay Gupta (IRSS:1993).
18. M Ramachandrudu (IAS:2009:BH) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Minority Affairs for a combined tenure of seven years up to August 26, 2029, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Ram Singh (IAS:2008:AM).
19. Sonia Pant (IES:2001) has been appointed Adviser (Joint Secretary level) in NITI Aayog for five years from the date of assuming charge or until further orders, whichever is earlier. She will replace Surender Mehra (IFoS:1999).
20. Nitin Kumar (CSS) has been appointed Additional Secretary (Joint Secretary level) in the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) under the Department of Personnel and Training for five years from the date of assuming charge or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Ajay Kumar Kanouja (CSS).
21. C Murugan (IAS:2007:WB) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for a combined tenure of five years up to September 15, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Kamlesh Chaturvedi (IFoS:1988).
22. Rajneesh Kumar Tomar (IRSME:1998) has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (Joint Secretary level) of National Highways Logistics Management Limited (NHLML) under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for an overall tenure of five years up to November 2, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Rajesh Malik (IRSME:1994).
23. Nishtha Tiwari (IRS-IT:2005) has been appointed Chief Executive Officer (Joint Secretary level) of the Development and Welfare Board for Denotified, Nomadic and Semi-Nomadic Communities (DWBDNCs) under the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment for a combined tenure of seven years up to December 9, 2027, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. She will replace Apparao Veerell (IRSS:1993).
24. Manisha Trighatia (IAS:2002:UP) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Urban Development for five years from the date of assuming charge or until further orders, whichever is earlier. She will replace Roopa Mishra (IAS:2004:OR).
25. Avinash Jain (IRSE-Civil:2001) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation for an overall tenure of seven years up to February 6, 2029, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Subodh Yadav (IAS:1999:KN).
26. Pawan Kumar (IRS-C&IT:2005) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the National River Conservation Directorate (NRCD) under the Department of Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation for five years from the date of assuming charge or until further orders, whichever is earlier. He will replace Anand Mohan (IFoS:1996:RJ).
27. Anita Shah Akella (IA&AS:1996) has been appointed Joint Secretary in the National Commission for Women (NCW) under the Ministry of Women and Child Development for an overall tenure of five years up to May 25, 2027, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. She will replace Radhika Chakravarty (IPoS:1996).
Despite the Tamil Nadu Chief Secretary, M Sai Kumar (IAS:1990:TN)’s directive to file the annual statement of assets and liabilities for the year 2025, only 3.12% of state government employees have so far filed it. Significantly, only three weeks are now left to do it, as the deadline is October 31.
This low compliance has raised questions among employees regarding the effect of the Chief Secretary’s August 5 directive. The CS had stated that submission of the statement would be taken into consideration while preparing panels for promotion.
The CS had directed all government employees to submit their Statement of Assets, Debts and Other Liabilities through the Integrated Financial and Human Resources Management System (IFHRMS) portal for the year ended December 31, 2025, by October 31, 2026.
The orders also stipulated that in future govt employees should submit the statement for the year ending December 31 on or before March 31 of the succeeding year without fail. According to the directive, the date of filing the statement is to be mentioned in the Annual Confidential Report of employees.
This has happened despite the govt’s directive clearly mentioning that non-filing of assets and liabilities within the stipulated time will be treated as a violation of the “Tamil Nadu Government Servants’ Conduct Rules, 1973.”
The major reason behind it is said to be apprehensions among govt employees over linking the filing of the statement to promotion-panel preparation. However, an official said the requirement is not a new measure or a coercive step by the government.
According to him, the directive is part of the state govt’s efforts to strengthen its database. Further, as the official said, the state govt is not going to recheck the details, since it is a voluntary disclosure of assets. A section of employees’ union welcomes the move while other expresses reservation.
According to TN Secretariat Association president G Venkatesan, each department had its own deadline for completing promotion-panel preparation and that the new stipulation could affect certain sections of employees.
The Punjab & Haryana High Court took exception to Punjab Chief Secretary K A P Sinha (IAS:1992:PB)’s stand on the alleged non-compliance with its orders in the DA arrears case on Friday and directed the contempt case against him to be placed before the bench having jurisdiction as per the roster.
A division bench of Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor passed the order after the court was informed about the Chief Secretary’s stand that there was no deliberate intention to make a false statement regarding removal of defects in the state govt’s Special Leave Petition (SLP) filed in the Supreme Court.
The Punjab govt’s counsel submitted that the CS had no intention to mislead the court and was willing to offer an unconditional apology.
But the bench was unrelenting and went ahead to direct the matter to the court, having jurisdiction as per roster.
The contempt proceedings were initiated after the state govt‘s alleged failure to comply with the High Court’s directions to pay all pending DA arrears to govt employees and pensioners within 15 days.
The court had directed the Chief Secretary to file a compliance affidavit, but it was not filed as directed, following which applications seeking contempt proceedings were moved.
In the meantime, the state govt moved a Special Leave Petition in the top court on September 1. But some defects were detected in the SLP. The High Court then directed the govt to remove those defects.
Later a report obtained from the Supreme Court Registry showed that the defects remained unremoved.
However, the Chief Secretary had earlier filed an affidavit stating that the defects had been removed.
The court observed that giving a ‘false statement’ prima facie indicated that attempt was only to misrepresent the facts before the Court.
The matter has now been directed to be listed on October 12.
Get Latest Updates