Senior diplomat Arun Kumar Sahu (IFS: 1996) was on Monday (10.03.2025) concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of India to the Republic of North Macedonia, with residence in Sofia. Currently, he is serving as Ambassador of India to the Republic of Bulgaria and is expected to take up the assignment shortly.
In a statement, the MEA said, “Shri Arun Kumar Sahu (IFS: 1996), presently Ambassador of India to the Republic of Bulgaria, has been concurrently accredited as the Ambassador of India tothe Republic of North Macedonia, with residence in Sofia.”
“He is expected to take up the assignment shortly,” the statement added.
Senior diplomat Raj Kumar Singh (IFS: 1996) was on Monday (10.03.2025) appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Guatemala. Presently, he is serving as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs and is expected to take up the assignment shortly.
In a statement, the MEA said, “Shri Raj Kumar Singh (IFS: 1996), presently Joint Secretary in the Ministry, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of Guatemala.”
“He is expected to take up the assignment shortly,” the statement added.
The central deputation tenure of Nidhi Chhibber (IAS:1994:CG) as Additional Secretary in the NITI Aayog has been extended for two months. According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Thursday (06.03.2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved to extend the deputation tenure of Ms. Chhibber for a period of two months beyond 24.03.2025 upto 23.05.2025 or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Senior IPS officer R Sudhakar (IPS:2003:TN) has been appointed as Deputy Director General (DyDG) in the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) for five years. According to an order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday (07.03.2025), the competent authority has approved the appointment of Mr. Sing to the post on deputation basis for a period of five years from the date of assumption of charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Senior IPS officer Sujit Kumar Singh (IPS:2007:AGMUT) has been appointed as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) for five years. According to an order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday (07.03.2025), the competent authority has approved the appointment of Mr. Singh to the post on deputation basis for a period of five years from the date of assumption of charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
The Union government on Saturday (08.03.2025) notified the appointment of three Advocates as Additional Judges of the Calcutta High Court, for a period of two years.
They are;
Smita Das De
Reetobroto Kumar Mitra
Om Narayan Rai
The Supreme Court Collegium on February 25, 2025, approved the elevation of five advocates as Judges of the Calcutta High Court. However, while the appointment of three Advocates has been notified, two remain pending.
The Union government on Friday (07.03.2025) notified the appointment of three Advocates as Judges of the Patna High Court.
They are;
Alok Kumar Sinha
Sourendra Pandey
Soni Shrivastava
The Supreme Court Collegium on February 20, 2025, approved the elevation of five advocates as Judges of the Patna High Court. However, while the appointment of three advocates has been notified, two remain pending.
The Union government on Monday (10.03.2025) notified the appointment of three Additional Judges of the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court as Permanent Judges of that High Court.
These judges are ;
Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal
Justice Rajesh Sekhri
Justice Mohd. Yousuf Wani
The Supreme Court Collegium had approved the proposal for appointing the three Additional Judges of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court as Permanent Judges of the Court vide notification dated March 6, 2025.
The Union government on Monday (10.03.2025) approved the appointment of Calcutta High Court Judge Justice Joymalya Bagchi as a Judge of the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended the elevation of Justice Bagchi on March 6.
On the retirement of Mr. Justice K.V. Viswanathan on 25th May 2031, Mr. Justice Joymalya Bagchi would be in line to assume office as the Chief Justice of India till his retirement on 02nd October 2031.
With Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena (IAS:1990:HP) set to retire on March 31 and his application for the post of RERA Chairman making it clear that his exit is confirmed. Now, the focus has shifted to his likely successor.
According to the seniority list, only four IAS officers in the state have completed 30 years of service, a key criterion for the Chief Secretary’s post. They are:
Sanjay Gupta (IAS:1988:HP)
Kamlesh Kumar Pant (IAS:1993:HP)
Anuradha Thakur (IAS:1994:HP)
Onkar Chand Sharma (IAS:1994:HP)
Among them, Sanjay Gupta, currently serving as Chairman, Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited and Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Ropeways and Rapid Transport System Development Corporation, is unlikely to make the cut this time as well. A similar situation occurred last time when Prabodh Saxena was appointed Chief Secretary, bypassing Sharma’s seniority after the retirement of RD Dhiman (IAS:1988:HP) on December 31, 2022.
Anuradha Thakur is currently on central deputation as Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Corporate Affairs and, according to sources, is not inclined to return to her parent cadre. Notably, she was recently empanelled on March 6 for Secretary or equivalent-level positions in the Government of India, further reducing the chances of her return to the state.
This effectively narrows the race down to Kamlesh Kumar Pant and Onkar Chand Sharma—both seasoned officers with the credentials to take up the top bureaucratic position.
Pant is currently serving as Additional Chief Secretary (Forest) and Financial Commissioner (Appeals), while Sharma holds multiple key portfolios, including Additional Chief Secretary (Revenue)-cum-FC (Revenue), Tribal Development, JSV, Home & Vigilance, and Chairman, HP State Pollution Control Board.
However, discussions in administrative circles suggest that Kamlesh Kumar Pant is the frontrunner to replace Prabodh Saxena as Chief Secretary.
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