Kandarp Vajubhai Patel (IA&AS:2012) has been appointed as Private Secretary to Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who holds the portfolios of Railways, Information & Broadcasting, and Electronics & Information Technology.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Wednesday (December 31, 2025), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved Patel’s appointment at the Director level in the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. His tenure will take effect from January 1, 2026, and will continue up to November 21, 2029, which corresponds to the remaining period of his five-year central deputation.
The appointment will be on a co-terminus basis with the Minister or until Patel ceases to function as Private Secretary, or until further orders, whichever occurs earlier.
For taking up this assignment, Patel’s ongoing tenure as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Expenditure, where he has been posted since November 2024, has been curtailed. He was originally appointed to the post for a five-year tenure.
After nearly a month of confusion, uncertainty, and deadlock over the appointment process, Haryana has finally got its new chief of state police. It proves right what the Legendofficers had reported: that the state is poised to get its new DGP by the dawn of the New Year. The appointment of Ajay Singhal (IPS:1992:HY) as a regular DGP of the state thus puts an end to a long-drawn controversy over the appointment of a regular DGP.
The ball of controversy was set into motion by the tragic incident of suicide by senior IPS officer Y. Puran Kumar (IPS:2001:HY) in early October and the name of then DGP Shatrujeet Kapoor (IPS:1990:HY) figuring as an accused in Kumar’s suicide note.
The massive public outrage forced the government to send Kapoor on a long leave on Oct 14 and hand over the charge to IPS officer O P Singh (IPS:1992:HY). As Singh was scheduled to retire on Dec 31, the Haryana government sent a panel of five of the most senior IPS officers to the Union Public Service Commission for shortlisting three names for the appointment of a regular DGP.
But the UPSC returned the panel sent by the state govt on the ground that no vacancy for DGP’s post existed in Haryana, as Kapoor was only on leave and could rejoin duty as DGP after returning from the leave. The commission asked the govt to send the panel afresh after ensuring that Kapoor would not be retained as a DGP.
Following it, the Haryana govt divested Kapoor of charge of the DGP on Dec 14 after returning from leave and sent a panel of five IPS officers to the UPSC on Dec 16 for shortlisting three officers for the appointment of a new chief of the state police.
The state government’s proposal sent to the UPSC on December 16 contained the records of five IPS officers—Shatrujeet Kapoor (1990 batch), SK Jain (1991 batch), Ajay Singhal (1992 batch), Alok Mittal, and Arshinder Chawla (both of the 1993 batch).
The inclusion of Kapoor’s name in the fresh govt’s panel prompted the UPSC to ask for a status report of the FIR that had been filed with the Chandigarh Police following Puran Kumar’s suicide.
Besides Kapur’s case, the UPSC also sought the entire service record of the 1991 batch IPS officer, SK Jain. As per our report, Jain was unlikely to find a place in the panel of three IPS officers because he failed to meet the “range of experience criteria required for heading the police force.”
Then the final call came on Dec 31 when the Haryana government finally appointed senior IPS officer Ajay Singhal (IPS:1992:HY) as the new DGP.
The appointment followed the empanelment committee meeting held by the UPSC on the last day of the preceding year. After its meeting on Dec 31, the UPSC forwarded a panel of three senior IPS officers—Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor, Ajay Singhal, and Alok Mittal (IPS:1993:HY)—for appointment as DGP. Out of these three, Ajay Singhal was named as the next chief of the state police through an order issued on Dec 31 by the Haryana govt.
The Gujarat government on Wednesday (December 31, 2025) appointed senior IPS officer Dr K Laxmi Narayan Rao (IPS:1992:GJ) as the interim Director General of Police (DGP) of the state, following the completion of the extended tenure of incumbent Vikas Sahay (IPS:1989:GJ).
Sahay, who was originally due to retire on June 30, 2025, had been granted a six-month extension, which ended on December 31, 2025.
Dr Rao, who is currently serving as the Director General of CID (Crime), has been given additional charge of the DGP post and will continue to hold his present responsibilities along with the new assignment. He has about 22 months remaining before retirement.
Dr Rao formally assumed charge at a ceremony held at Police Bhavan in Gandhinagar, where outgoing DGP Vikas Sahay handed over charge to him.
An officer of the 1992 batch of the Indian Police Service, Dr Rao hails from Telangana and has a strong academic background. He holds an M.Sc., a Ph.D., and a Post Graduate Programme in Public Policy and Management (PGPPM) from IIM Bangalore. He was inducted into the IPS in February 1993.
In terms of seniority within the Gujarat cadre, Dr Shamsher Singh (IPS:1991) is the only officer senior to Dr Rao. However, Singh is currently on central deputation with the Border Security Force (BSF) and is due to retire in March 2026.
Following the appointment of Nandini Chakraborty (IAS:1994:WB) as the new Chief Secretary, the West Bengal government on Wednesday (December 31, 2025) carried out a series of key bureaucratic reshuffles to realign departmental responsibilities.
The departments earlier handled by Chakraborty have been reassigned to Jagdish Prasad Meena (IAS:2004:WB). Meena, who was serving as Secretary, Personnel & Administrative Reforms Department with additional charge of Member Secretary, Pollution Control Board and Divisional Commissioner, Presidency Division, has now been appointed Secretary, Home & Hills Affairs Department. He has also been given additional charge of the Parliamentary Affairs Department, Personnel & Administrative Reforms Department and Member Secretary, Pollution Control Board.
Senior IAS officer Barun Kumar Ray (IAS:1992:WB), currently serving as Additional Chief Secretary, Non-Conventional & Renewable Energy Sources Department, has been entrusted with the charge of the Tourism Department. The Tourism portfolio was earlier held by Nandini Chakraborty before her elevation as Chief Secretary.
In another change, Surendra Gupta (IAS:1997:WB), Principal Secretary, Public Health Engineering Department, has been given additional charge of Divisional Commissioner, Presidency Division, a responsibility earlier handled by Jagdish Prasad Meena.
Meanwhile, senior IAS officer Atri Bhattacharya (IAS:1989:WB), Additional Chief Secretary, Sundarban Affairs Department, has been assigned additional charge as Director General of the Netaji Subhas Administrative Training Institute. Another senior officer, Dushyant Nariala (IAS:1993:WB), Additional Chief Secretary, North Bengal Development Department with additional charge of Principal Secretary, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), has been given additional charge of the Additional Chief Secretary, Correctional Administration Department.
In a significant development, the West Bengal government on Wednesday (December 31, 2025) appointed former Chief Secretary Manoj Pant (Retd. IAS:1991:WB) as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, in the rank of Chief Secretary.
The state government had sought a further six-month extension for Pant from the Union government; however, the proposal was not finally cleared by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the cadre-controlling authority for All India Services officers. Following this, the state government appointed Nandini Chakraborty (IAS:1994:WB) as the new Chief Secretary and posted Pant to the Chief Minister’s Office.
Notably, Pant was originally due to retire in June 2025 but had already been granted a six-month extension, which concluded on December 31, 2025.
Making history in West Bengal’s bureaucratic set-up, the state government on Wednesday (December 31, 2025), appointed senior IAS officer Nandini Chakraborty (IAS:1994:WB) as the Chief Secretary of the state. She is the first woman officer to hold the top bureaucratic post in West Bengal.
Chakraborty succeeded Manoj Pant (IAS:1991:WB), who retired on Wednesday after completing a six-month extension. Pant was originally due to retire in June 2025 but was granted an extension by the state government. He had assumed charge as Chief Secretary in September 2024 following the retirement of Bhagwati Prasad Gopalika (IAS:1989:WB).
At the time of her appointment, Nandini Chakraborty was serving as Additional Chief Secretary, Home and Hills Affairs Department, with additional charge of Additional Chief Secretary, Parliamentary Affairs Department and Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism Department.
During her long administrative career, Chakraborty has held several key positions in the state government. She has also remained in the public spotlight due to certain administrative controversies.
In the recent past, she served as Principal Secretary to Governor C.V. Ananda Bose. Her tenure at Raj Bhavan witnessed a tense standoff between the Governor’s office and the state secretariat following her proposed removal from the post.
While Raj Bhavan had sought her release from the Governor’s Secretariat, the state government instructed that she should continue in the position. The issue escalated until the Chief Minister intervened and held separate discussions with the Governor.
Subsequently, the state government decided to remove Nandini Chakraborty from the post of Principal Secretary to the Governor. She was then assigned the charge of the Tourism Department.
In December 2023, she was entrusted with the key responsibility of the Home and Hills Affairs Department, a role she continued to hold until her elevation as Chief Secretary.
On the last day of his service, Bihar’s former Director General of Police Alok Raj (IPS:1989:BH) has been entrusted with a new assignment for another five years. The Bihar government on Wednesday (December 31, 2025) appointed him as Chairman of the Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC), the statutory body responsible for conducting recruitment examinations in the state.
Alok Raj retired from the Indian Police Service on December 31, 2025, and will assume charge of the new post on January 1, 2026. His tenure as BSSC Chairman will be for five years or until he attains the age of 65, whichever comes earlier.
He had been holding the additional charge of BSSC Chairman since December 2024, alongside his primary assignment as Director General and Managing Director of the Bihar Police Building Construction Corporation. With the latest order, the government has made his charge at the BSSC permanent.
The appointment comes at a time when recruitment processes in Bihar are under close scrutiny. The BSSC is expected to play a crucial role in conducting examinations and filling vacancies across various state government departments in the coming years.
In a key development, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of senior Indian Foreign Service officer Sripriya Ranganathan (IFS:1994) as Secretary (Consular, Passport & Visa and Overseas Indian Affairs) in the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
As per an official order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Wednesday (December 31, 2025), Ranganathan, a Grade-I officer of the IFS, will assume charge following the superannuation of Arun Kumar Chatterjee (IFS:1992) on the same date. Chatterjee has been serving as Secretary (CPV & OIA) since July 2024.
The post of Secretary (CPV & OIA) is a crucial secretary-level assignment in the MEA, responsible for some of the ministry’s most citizen-facing and diaspora-related functions. The Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) division oversees passport issuance, visa policy, consular assistance, and the protection of Indian nationals abroad, including during emergencies, arrests, deaths, and evacuation operations.
The Overseas Indian Affairs (OIA) wing focuses on engagement with the Indian diaspora, welfare of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs), and coordination of policies related to overseas Indians. The division also plays a critical role in handling large-scale consular and evacuation operations during crises involving Indians overseas.
In a key development, the Haryana government on Wednesday (December 31, 2025) appointed senior IPS officer Ajay Singhal (IPS:1992:HY) as the new Director General of Police (DGP) of the state. The appointment was made as the incumbent DGP O P Singh (IPS:1992:HY), who was holding the post in additional charge, retired from service on Wednesday.
Ajay Singhal is currently serving as Director General, State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau. Notably, O P Singh had been entrusted with the additional charge of DGP after the then regular DGP, Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor (IPS:1990:HY), was sent on leave in connection with the suicide case of IPS officer Y Puran Kumar (IPS:2001:HR).
The appointment followed the empanelment process conducted by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC). After its meeting on Wednesday, the UPSC forwarded a panel of three senior IPS officers to the Haryana government for selection. The names on the panel included Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor, Ajay Singhal, and Alok Mittal (IPS:1993:HY).
Based on the UPSC panel, the state government selected Ajay Singhal as the regular Director General of Police of Haryana.
In a significant development, the Maharashtra government on Wednesday (December 31, 2025) appointed senior IPS officer Sadanand Vasant Date (IPS:1990:MH) as the new Director General of Police (DGP) of the state. He succeeds Rashmi Shukla (IPS:1988:MH), who demits office on her superannuation today.
Date was recently repatriated from central deputation, where he was serving as Director General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA). As earlier reported by Legendofficers.com, he was the front-runner for the state’s top police post. The Maharashtra government had forwarded a panel of seven senior IPS officers to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for shortlisting, with Date being the senior-most among them. The state had also requested the Centre to repatriate him to facilitate his appointment.
Before proceeding on central deputation, Date headed the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) and held several key field and operational assignments, including Police Commissioner of Mira Bhayandar–Vasai Virar, Joint Commissioner (Law & Order), and Joint Commissioner of the Crime Branch in Mumbai.
He has also served two tenures in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as Deputy Inspector General and later served as Inspector General in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
A highly decorated officer, Date was awarded the President’s Police Medal for Gallantry for his role during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. He has also received the President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2007 and the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2014.
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