The central deputation tenure of Lily Pandeya (IRPS:1998) as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Culture has been extended by two years.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on April 8, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Culture to extend her deputation tenure for a period of two years beyond May 31, 2026, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Her five-year tenure as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Culture was scheduled to come to an end on May 31, 2026.
The central deputation tenure of Bishnu Charan Mallick (IAS:2007:RJ) as Director of Census Operations (DCO)/Director of Citizen Registration (DCR), Rajasthan, has been extended up to April 30, 2027.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on April 8, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal of the Ministry of Home Affairs to extend his deputation tenure for an overall period up to April 30, 2027, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Notably, Bishnu Charan Mallick has been serving in the post since December 2020. He was initially appointed for a tenure of three years and was subsequently granted an extension in November 2023, extending his tenure up to December 31, 2025. His second extension was for three months up to March 31, 2026. With the latest order, his tenure has now been extended up to April 30, 2027.
Ms Mithlesh (ICoAS:1997) has been promoted to the grade of Additional Chief Adviser (Cost) in the Indian Cost Accounts Service in Level 16 of the Pay Matrix.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on April 8, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved her empanelment to the grade for the panel year 2026. The promotion will be effective from the date of assumption of charge of the post and will remain in force until further orders.
In a significant administrative move to augment the law and order scenario in the state, the Bihar government has ordered a major shakeup in the police force by appointing 32 senior IPS officers as nodal officers for various districts across the state.
The list includes top IPS officers of ADG, IG, and DIG ranks. Twenty-four officers will oversee one district each, while eight officers will be responsible for two districts each.
Among notable postings, ADG Nayyar Hasnain Khan has been given charge of Patna, IG Sanjay Kumar will look after Muzaffarpur, and ADG S Ravindran will be responsible for Gaya. IG Premlata S has been given responsibility for Bhagalpur and Naugachhia.
These nodal officers are supposed to review around 18 key parameters in their assigned districts, like law and order, pending cases, investigation quality, speedy trials, and functioning of police stations.
In addition they also have to take special care of the public grievance redressal, including monitoring public hearings and police-public interaction. Each officer is required to prepare a detailed monthly report based on inspections and submit it to the DGP, including personal observations and recommendations.
The entire move is aimed at enhancing accountability and improving overall policing standards across districts, ensuring better control over law and order.
According to sources, under this nodal officer system, senior officers visit districts, review policing work, and submit reports to the DGP.
A revised list has now been issued following these changes to make policing more effective.
The list of the IPS officers with designations and assigned district/districts is as follows:
The central government has announced a fresh round of appointments, posting three senior IPS officers to key positions in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs). These appointments have been made at the DIG and IG levels in the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) and the Border Security Force (BSF).
According to the notification issued on Friday, senior IPS officer Deepak Barnwal (IPS: 2010: BH) has been appointed as DIG in the SSB on central deputation.
Barnwal has previously served as Superintendent of Police (SP) in Bihar’s Madhubani, Aurangabad, and Lakhisarai districts. But it was his stint in Aurangabad that brought recognition to his leadership quality after he effectively led anti-Naxal operations.
He has carved out a niche in maintaining high standards of administrative transparency. Barnwal has also handled specialized assignments like serving as SP in the Special Branch.
Similarly, Rajasthan cadre IPS officer Adarsh Sidhu (IPS: 2012: RJ) has been assigned a new posting in the BSF as DIG on deputation.
Like Barnwal, Sidhu has also served as SP in different districts of Rajasthan, like Bhilwara, Tonk, Pali, and Bundi. He is known for his community-oriented policing approach and initiatives aimed at protecting child rights.
In addition to them, IPS officer Princee Rani (IPS: 2005:TR) has been appointed as IG in the Border Security Force (BSF) on a lateral-shift basis. She is currently serving as Inspector General (IG) in the National Security Guard (NSG). Her tenure in the BSF will continue up to February 5, 2029.
A recipient of the President’s Medal for Meritorious Service in 2025, Rani has had a distinguished career and held several key positions in Tripura, including senior positions like IG (administration) and DIG (traffic).
These appointments are, however, part of routine cadre management and deputation processes. The inclusion of these three officers is expected to enhance operational efficiency in the two wings of the CAPFs.
In an interesting development, the newly-elected body of the Gujarat IPS Officers’ Association has decided to take to social media to counter “baseless allegations” against its officers in the state. Association president and Ahmedabad City Police Commissioner, Gyanender Singh Malik (IPS:1993:GJ), announced plans to activate the association’s social media handles for better policing and taking up matters related to the state police force.
The body has also decided to open its X handle.
According to media reports, it was decided after members raised the issue of the allegations of custodial torture made against a fellow officer, currently posted in Rajkot, by a “journalist” who runs an online portal.
The development has come at a time when the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to DGP (in charge) K L N Rao on the alleged illegal detention and torture of a journalist by the Rajkot Crime Branch. The NHRC has sought a report on the issue within two weeks after an MLA accused an IPS officer of involvement in alleged torture.
Interestingly, the journalist who alleged being tortured later withdrew his complaint before it was heard.
Association president Malik said if the association has an opinion, we would like to put it out on our social media handle. He said the association would also address transfer postings and issues that benefit officers and the police. “Our agenda is also how to improve policing as a whole,” he averred.
However, in its statement on the minutes of the meeting, the Gujarat IPS Association said it was discussed among members that, in many instances, frivolous and baseless allegations are being leveled against IPS officers in media/social media platforms by interested individuals. “It was decided that in such situations, the association should come forward and take remedial/required steps,” the statement said.
An IPS officer, who attended the Wednesday meeting, said it has been decided that the association should come out with the actual version of things that happened so that the media and public can discern the truth. The IPS lobby feels that this is to make sure that the officer has support from the system and is not fighting alone.
The post of the association’s president had fallen vacant after DGP Manoj Agrawal retired from the service on September 30, 2025.
Besides Malik as president, ADG-rank officer Piyush Patel (IPS:1998:GJ), currently serving as Director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau, was elected Vice President; Nipuna M Torawane (IPS:2000:GJ), posted as Principal Secretary (Home), was elected as Secretary; and NN Chaudhari (IPS:2006:GJ), serving as IG (Intelligence-2), was elected as Treasurer of the association.
In a significant development, senior IPS officer Abhilasha Bisht (IPS:1994:TG) got interim relief from the High Court in her fight against her cadre reallocation to Andhra Pradesh by the Union Government. The High Court permitted her to continue serving in Telangana till further orders, pending the adjudication of her challenge to her reallocation to the Andhra cadre.
A division bench of High Court Justice P. Sam Koshy and Justice Narsing Rao Nandikonda passed the order while hearing her writ petition.
The Union Govt had ordered Bisht to be reallocated to the Andhra cadre in 2025. She moved the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) against this order, but the CAT upheld her reallocation to the AP cadre on January 9, 2026.
Then she moved the High Court against it. In addition to challenging the CAT’s order, Bisht also questioned subsequent proceedings issued by the Centre and communicated through the Telangana government.
She has now sought restoration of her seniority in the 1994 batch of IPS officers and continuation in the Telangana cadre.
Bisht, in her petition, contends that the cadre allocation process was flawed due to its reliance on a “distorted” seniority list allegedly provided by the state authorities.
According to her, the process led to her being wrongly treated as junior to officers of the 1994 batch. She argues that the fact was contrary to it, as these officers were virtually junior to her, thereby unsettling a seniority position that had remained unchanged for over two decades.
Bisht has further argued that the Centre had acted on inaccurate information despite seeking a certified seniority list and altered her position without issuing prior notice to her or giving her an opportunity to present her case.
She claims that this action violated the principles of natural justice and was influenced by extraneous considerations.
The Union government on Friday (April 10, 2026) notified the appointment of three Additional Judges of the Madras High Court as Permanent Judges.
The judges who have been elevated are Justice R Poornima, Justice M Jothiraman, and Dr Augustine Devadoss.
Notably, the Union government had earlier, on September 21, 2024, notified their appointment as Additional Judges of the Madras High Court. Prior to that, the Supreme Court of India had recommended their names on September 10, 2024, for appointment as Additional Judges.
The Haryana government on Friday (April 10, 2026) carried out a significant administrative reshuffle, transferring and assigning new responsibilities to 17 IAS and HCS officers across various departments.
Senior IAS officer Vijay Kumar Siddappa Bhavikatti has been posted as Secretary to Governor and Labour Commissioner, while Anish Yadav has been given additional charge of key state-run institutions. Several other officers, including Vikram, Sachin Gupta, and Virender Chaudhary, have also been reassigned.
The names of the officers and their postings are as follows;
Vijay Kumar Siddappa Bhavikatti (IAS:2011:HY), Managing Director, HAFED and Managing Director, Haryana International Horticulture Marketing Corporation, Ganaur, has been transferred and posted as Secretary to Governor, Haryana and Labour Commissioner and Special Secretary, Labour Department.
Anish Yadav (IAS:2014:HY), Director, Development & Panchayats, Haryana and Special Secretary, Development & Panchayats Department, has been given additional charge of Managing Director, HAFED and Managing Director, Haryana International Horticulture Marketing Corporation, Ganaur.
Vikram (IAS:2014:HY), Managing Director, Haryana Minerals Ltd., New Delhi; Managing Director, Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd.; Managing Director, Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam Ltd.; and Special Secretary, Energy Department, has been assigned the same charges (UHBVN, DHBVN, Haryana Minerals Ltd.) along with Special Secretary, Energy Department.
Sachin Gupta (IAS:2018:HY), Additional Secretary, Irrigation & Water Resources Department and Managing Director, HSMITC and Deputy Commissioner, Rohtak, has been given additional charge of Administrator, HSVP, Rohtak and Additional Director, Urban Estate, Rohtak.
Amit Kumar-I (HCS:2011), Sub Divisional Officer (Civil), Faridabad, has been transferred and posted as Sub Divisional Officer (Civil), Punhana.
Virender Chaudhary (HCS:2013), Joint Secretary, Fisheries Department, has been transferred and posted as CEO, Zila Parishad, Kurukshetra and CEO, DRDA, Kurukshetra.
Manish Kumar Lohan (HCS:2013), Additional Director, Civil Aviation, Haryana, has been given additional charge of Additional Director, Mines & Geology and Additional Director, Information, Public Relations & Languages.
Surender Singh-II (HCS:2016), District Municipal Commissioner, Jind, has been transferred and posted as Additional Director (Admn.), Medical College, Khanpur Kalan, Sonipat.
Ved Prakash (HCS:2016), Sub Divisional Officer (Civil), Barwala, has been transferred and posted as Sub Divisional Officer (Civil), Dabwali.
Bhupendra Singh (HCS:2016), Additional Director (Admn.), Technical Education; Joint Secretary, Technical Education Department; and Additional Director (Admn.), Health Services, has been transferred and posted as Sub Divisional Officer (Civil), Palwal.
Ashvir Singh (HCS:2019), Special Officer (Sanitation), Faridabad, has been transferred and posted as Sub Divisional Officer (Civil), Barwala.
Sanjeev Kumar (HCS:2019), Joint Director (Admn.), Secondary Education and Deputy Secretary, School Education Department, has been transferred and posted as Sub Divisional Officer (Civil), Bawal.
Anmol (HCS:2020), Sub Divisional Officer (Civil), Gohana, has been transferred and posted as Managing Director, Cooperative Sugar Mills, Sonipat.
Jyoti Nagpal (HCS:2023), Joint Director (Admn.), HIPA, Gurugram, has been transferred and posted as City Magistrate, Gurugram.
Sapna Yadav (HCS:2023), City Magistrate, Gurugram, has been transferred and posted as Joint Director (Admn.), HIPA, Gurugram.
Hunny Bansal (HCS:2023), Joint Director, Industries & Commerce Department, Haryana, has been transferred and posted as Sub Divisional Officer (Civil), Faridabad.
Ankit Kumar-II (HCS:2023), City Magistrate, Rohtak, has been transferred and posted as Sub Divisional Officer (Civil), Gohana.
Former Rajasthan cadre IAS officer Subodh Agarwal (IAS:1988:RJ) has finally been arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in connection with the Rs 900 crore Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) scam in the state.
An arrest warrant had earlier been issued against Agarwal in the scam, and a Look-Out Circular (LOC) was issued against him on February 18 as he remained on the run. But the ACB team finally arrested him in Delhi and brought him to Jaipur on Thursday, where he was questioned at the ACB headquarters.
The JJM was the Central Government’s scheme, launched in 2019, to facilitate piped drinking water to every rural household by providing functional tap connections in these households. The investigation revealed forged billing, financial irregularities, and serious procedural violations in the tendering process.
Agarwal was serving as an Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) in the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) when the alleged scam took place. The ACB alleged that Agrawal and others had submitted false completion certificates worth nearly Rs 960 crore, which allegedly led to the embezzlement of funds with the involvement of contractors, senior engineers, and other public officials.
The investigation was initiated in 2024, following which nine officials of the PHED had already been arrested in the case.
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