The Union government on Friday (28.03.2025) notified the transfer of Justice Arindam Sinha from the Orissa High Court to the Allahabad High Court. The Supreme Court Collegium, in its meetings held on March 6 and 20, had recommended the transfer of Justice Sinha to the Allahabad High Court.
Also Read: SC collegium recommends transfer of Justice Arindam Sinha from Orissa HC to Allahabad HC
The Union government on Friday (28.03.2025) notified transfer of Delhi High Court Judge Justice Chandra Dhari Singh to Allahabad High Court.
The Supreme Court Collegium, in its meeting held in November 2024, had recommended the repatriation of Justice Chandra Dhari Singh, Justice of Delhi High Court to his parent Allahabad High Court.
India, currently, has a total strength of 1,177 Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers working for it. It was disclosed in the Parliament by the Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, while responding to a query on the number of vacancies/shortage in staff in various Indian Missions across the world. The minister also said that the sanctioned strength of Indian Foreign Service officers is 1,177.
According to him, there are 6,277 officers and officials — including local staff – currently serving in 218 missions and posts abroad. The requirement of manpower changes according to the workload, the minister added.
The government informed the Parliament that the Ministry of External Affairs regularly reviews the requirement of manpower at various levels in missions and posts abroad as well as at the headquarters.
The government also said in its reply that there are 49 IFS officers posted to Indian missions handling key multilateral organizations as on date. According to it, two Consulates General of India are being currently headed by two IFS officers
Karnataka’s Additional Chief Secretary Gaurav Gupta has submitted his inquiry report in the Ranya Rao gold smuggling case. Gaurav Gupta
committee had been formed to look into the alleged misuse of police protocol and the role of Director-General of Police (DGP) K Ramachandra Rao in it.
According to government sources, the report doesn’t find Rao’s involvement in the case in any way.
The State government had sent Rao on mandatory leave after Ranya Rao was allegedly caught while trying to smuggle 14.2 kg of gold at
Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) by the Directorate of Revenue (DRI). She was being escorted by two police personnel when caught on March 3. The Gaurav Gupta committee was formed on March 10 to look into the alleged role of the DGP in the case.
The report, however, indicates that Rao knew about the police protocol assistance being given to Ranya Rao and that she used to use his official car to reach home from the airport. As per sources, the report also says that Rao never objected to this, but no evidence was found to conclude that he knew of the alleged gold smuggling.
Head constable Basavaraj of International Airport Police, who provided protocol services to Ranya Rao on March 3, had claimed that he had been asked by Rao to assist his family members by providing protocol assistance. Basavaraj is said to have repeated his statement before the Gaurav Gupta Committee as well. Rao, however, denied giving any such instructions in his statement to the committee. The committee is said to have noted that there was no concrete evidence to believe that Rao had asked Basavaraj to provide protocol services to Ranya Rao.
Besides, the enquiry report also points out that the police protocol assistance does not exempt dignitaries from security checks at the airport and hence it was not the reason for Ranya Rao not being checked at the airport earlier.
The Punjab government on Friday (28.03.2025) issued transfer and posting orders for two IPS officers.
The names of the officers and their postings are as follows;
Kerala government is on look out for a new Chief Secretary as the current incumbent, Sarada Muraleedharan (IAS:1990:KL), is set to retire on April 30. The government has started the process of identifying the most eligible candidate for the top bureaucratic post in the state. The new Chief Secretary will begin his tenure on May 1.
Manoj Joshi (IAS:1989:KL) and A Jayathilak (IAS:1991:KL), are the top contenders for the post. While Joshi is currently on central deputation, Jayathilak is Additional Chief Secretary, Finance. Joshi is now the senior most IAS officer currently serving as Secretary in the Ministry of Rural Development. If he is chosen as the new CS, he will get a two-year tenure as he is to retire only in January 2027.
Manoj Joshi’s reportedly meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan recently strengthened his contention for the top slot. He has been senior to both former Chief Secretary V Venu and his successor Sarada Muraleedharan, both from the 1990 batch. The only hitch is that he had declined twice to become the CS earlier.
Besides Jayathilak, five other officers hold the rank of Additional Chief Secretary in the state: Bishwanath Sinha (IAS:1992:KL), K R Jyothilal (IAS:1993:KL), Puneet Kumar (IAS:1993:KL), Davendra Kumar Dhodawat (IAS:1993:KL), and Rajan N Khobragde (IAS:1993:KL). Among them, Jayathilak is the senior-most.
In a move that surprised many in the state’s top echelons, Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena (IAS:1990:HP), who was set to retire on March 31, has been granted a six-month extension.
Saxena’s exit was considered so certain that the Himachal IAS Officers Association hosted a farewell dinner for him on Friday night. It was during the event that Saxena personally announced his extension, catching many attendees off guard.
Earlier in the evening, a symbolic cap and muffler, meant as a farewell gift after a state cabinet meeting, were promptly returned following confirmation of his continued tenure.
Reports suggest that the extension letter from the Union Department of Personnel and Training arrived earlier on Friday.
LegendOfficers.com had previously reported that Saxena had applied for the position of RERA Chairman, signalling his imminent departure. Four senior IAS officers with over 30 years of experience were speculated as his possible successors: Sanjay Sharma (IAS:1988:HP), Kamlesh Kumar Pant (IAS:1993:HP), Anuradha Thakur (IAS:1994:HP), and Onkar Chand Sharma (IAS:1994:HP). Pant and Sharma were widely regarded as frontrunners for the role.
With Saxena’s extension, the race for the next Chief Secretary has been temporarily put on hold. Saxena, who was appointed to the position on January 2, 2023, will now continue in the role for an additional six months.
Also Read: Himachal: Race to replace CS Prabodh Saxena– KK Pant vs. OC Sharma, Pant holds the edge
Also Read: Lobbying begins for new Himachal CS as incumbent may become RERA chief
The Union government on Friday (28.03.2025) notified the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court.
According to the notification, ‘In exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 222 of the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, is pleased to transfer Shri Justice Yashwant Varma, Judge, Delhi High Court, to be a Judge of Allahabad High Court and to direct him to assume charge of his office in the Allahabad High Court.’
Following the transfer, the Supreme Court of India directed the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court not to assign any judicial work to Justice Varma.
The Collegium recommended to transfer Justice Yashwant Varma after two meetings on March 20 and 24, following the alleged discovery of cash at his residence. A fire at his residence on March 14 reportedly led firefighters to recover unaccounted cash.
IPS officer Shilpa D (IPS:2016:KL) has been appointed as Superintendent of Police (SP) in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for five years. According to an order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday (28.03.2025), the competent authority has approved the appointment of Ms. Shilpa to the post for a period of five years or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
IPS officer Jal Singh Meena (IPS:2010:TR), currently serving as Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), has been appointed as DIG in the Border Security Force (BSF) on lateral shift basis. According to an order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday (27.03.2025), the competent authority has approved the appointment of Mr Meena as DIG in BSF on lateral shift basis for a period upto 18.07.2026 (combined tenure of 5 years) or till further orders, whichever is earlier.
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