The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Monday (December 22, 2025) approved the redesignation of two IAS officers and one IPS officer to the rank of Director, with effect from January 1, 2026. All three officers are currently serving at the Deputy Secretary level, and their posts have been upgraded accordingly.
The officers approved for redesignation include Iva Ashish Srivastava (IAS:2010:UK), who is presently serving as DCO/DCR, Uttarakhand, Lalit Jain (IAS:2011:HP), currently posted as DCO/DCR, Haryana, and Guriqbal Singh (IPS:2012:AGMUT), who is serving as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The three-day IAS Service Meet ended in Bhopal on Sunday with the announcement of final results. The Green Team, led by Additional Chief Secretary Ashok Barnwal (IAS:1991:MP), won the overall title.
All results of sports and recreational events held during the meet were announced on the last day. IAS officers were divided into four teams. The Red Team was led by Chief Secretary Anurag Jain(IAS:1989:MP). The Green Team was led by Additional Chief Secretary Ashok Barnwal. The Orange Team was headed by Additional Chief Secretary Sanjay Shukla(IAS:1994:MP). The Blue Team was led by Principal Secretary Raghavendra Singh(IAS:1997:MP).
After all events were completed, the Green Team finished first with 160 points. The Red Team came second with 154 points. The Orange Team stood third with 126 points. The Blue Team finished fourth with 116 points.
The main event on the final day was an 18-kilometre cyclothon. It started from Arera Club and passed through the Chief Minister’s residence and Van Vihar National Park. Around 40 IAS officers and family members took part in the cyclothon.
Pariki Pandla Akshar finished first in the cyclothon with a time of 38 minutes. Shivraj Singh Verma and Abhay Singh jointly finished second with 45 minutes. Ishan Suman Singh came third with 47 minutes.
The final day also saw informal interactions among officers. The three-day meet included sports events, cultural programmes, boat races, cooking contests and activities for families. Family members took part in large numbers.
The IAS Service Meet was inaugurated by Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav. The event ended with the Green Team winning the overall title and the cyclothon marking the close of the meet.
Sikkim cadre IAS officer Aishvarya Singh (IAS:2008:SK) has been appointed as the Special Roll Observer to oversee the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Kerala. She is currently serving as Joint Secretary in the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Government of India.
As part of her assignment, Ms. Singh conducted a detailed review meeting of the SIR activities in Thiruvananthapuram district on Saturday, December 20, 2025. During her visit, she also participated in a meeting with representatives of political parties convened by Kerala Chief Electoral Officer Rathan U Kelkar(IAS:2003:KL).
According to the Chief Electoral Officer’s office, the Special Roll Observer will continue reviewing SIR activities in other districts of the state. Ms. Singh visited Wayanad on Sunday, December 21, 2025, and is scheduled to be in Kozhikode on Monday, December 22, 2025.
During these visits, she is reviewing the progress of SIR-related work, interacting with district election officials and political party representatives, and assessing the measures taken to ensure the accuracy and inclusiveness of the electoral rolls.
The enumeration phase of the Special Intensive Revision concluded on December 18, and the draft electoral rolls are scheduled to be published on December 23, the Chief Electoral Officer’s office said.
The orderly system, a vestige of the colonial hangover, is grabbing headlines in the extreme southern part of the country, with the Madras High Court sounding hell-bent on its complete eradication. In an attempt to enforce its complete abolition, the court refused to entertain the report filed by the Director General of Tamil Nadu Police, saying the orderly system stands completely abolished in the state. The court on Friday asked the Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary of the state for an explanation.
The bench comprising justice SM Subramaniam and justice C Kumarappan referred to recent news reports suggesting that uniformed personnel continued to be made to work as orderlies at the residences of serving and retired government officials.
The HC came down heavily on it, as the orderly system had been abolished way back in 1979 through the government order.
To cap it, justice Subramaniam had ordered, in August 2022, a complete abolition of the orderly system in the state and had directed the authorities to remove the orderlies posted to the residence of retired officials. It had warned of disciplinary action if any complaint was received.
It had also directed the state Home Ministry to take strict action against higher officials, including departmental action and recovery of orderly’s salary from errant official, whenever an incident of practising the orderly system was reported. However, the court lamented even in 2024, while dealing with another case, that despite several court orders, the practice continues to exist.
In the present case, the court’s direction came while hearing a petition filed by Advocate A Radhakrishnan, seeking police protection based on his representation.
It was when the court questioned whether its earlier order on abolishing the orderly system had been complied with that the State Public Prosecutor submitted a circular issued by the DGP-incharge Abhay Kumar Singh calling for the complete eradication of the system of posting police personnel as orderlies to the residences of serving and retired police officers for unofficial work.
The court suggested installing a real-time tracking system in the DGP’s office for effective monitoring of all the officials on other duties.
A new element has been added to the process of appointing a new Director (Personnel) for the NMDC Limited. Shivendra Bahadur Singh has joined the race as a new entrant. The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB), which had initially called only 12 candidates for the interview, added his name to the list through an office memorandum issued on December 19.
Justifying the new entry, the PESB has claimed that it found Shivendra Bahadur Singh’s candidature fit for shortlisting for the Director (Personnel)’s post after re-examining his representation in this regard a few days back.
While nudging Singh’s candidature for the interview, PSEB says, in its memorandum, that he deserves to be considered for the post as a special case. It thus makes Singh eligible for the interview. He is currently serving as an executive director at NMDC Limited.
The interview is scheduled to be held on December 23, 2025, from 3:45 pm to 5:45 pm.
The board has also asked the concerned authorities to make available requisite documents related to the newly included candidate, including APARs, grading statements, and vigilance profiles, and advised him to come prepared with a brief presentation outlining his achievements and vision for NMDC.
The phone-tapping case in Telangana got a further impetus with the Telangana government ordering the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the case. The state DGP issued an official memorandum to this effect. It will function under the overall supervision of Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar.
The nine-member SIT, formed with immediate effect, has been directed to finish the investigation and file the charge sheet expeditiously. The alleged phone tapping case is registered at Panjagutta police station.
The SIT comprises Ambar Kishore Jha, Commissioner of Police (CP), Ramagundam; S.M. Vijay Kumar, Siddipet CP; Ritiraj, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Madhapur; K. Narayan Reddy, DCP, Maheshwaram; M. Ravinder Reddy, Group Commander, Greyhounds; K.S. Rao, Additional DCP, Rajendra Nagar; P. Venkatagiri, ACP, Jubilee Hills; Sridhar, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Telangana Anti Narcotics Bureau; and Nagender Rao, DSP, HMRL.
Jubilee Hills ACP P Venkatagiri has been designated as the investigating officer.
In the meantime, the Supreme Court has extended the police custody of Prabhakar Rao, the prime accused in the case, till December 25, 2025.
In a noble gesture of ensuring maximum employment opportunities for Agniveers after retirement, the Union Home Ministry has raised reservation for ex-Agniveers in the Group C posts of the BSF from the existing 10% to 50%. It will be introduced to other Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) soon. The move makes a significant shift from the ministry’s earlier decision to implement a 10% reservation for the temporary recruits of the armed forces in the CAPFs.
According to the notification, 50% of vacant constable posts in the Border Security Force (BSF) will be reserved for ex-Agniveers. The ex-Agniveers will now be required only to appear for the written test, as they have been exempted from the Physical Standard Test and Physical Efficiency Test. This 50 percent reservation will currently be applicable for constable posts in BSF.
The notification, containing new provisions introduced through an amendment in the rules, was issued on Friday by the Home Ministry. It applies to the Border Security Force (BSF) General Duty Cadre (Non-Gazetted) Recruitment Rules.
According to the amended rules, fifty per cent vacancies shall be reserved for ex-Agniveers in every recruitment year, ten per cent from ex-Servicemen and up to three percent for absorption of annual vacancy amongst Combatised Constable (Tradesmen).
Moreover, for absorption in the rank of constables from among the Combatised Constable (Tradesmen) of the BSF, the age criteria have also been relaxed from the existing 30 to 35 years. Besides, the minimum service period has also been increased from three to five years. Similarly, the upper age limit for deputation to other forces will now be 56 years. The existing upper age limit is 52.
According to a reliable source, the recruitment rules for Group C posts of all CAPFs will be amended gradually in the coming days.
The Agniveer scheme, which had been launched in 1922, had led to a spasmodic reaction. After widespread violent protests, the Centre had announced that 10% of all vacancies in the CAPFs will be reserved for the armed forces recruits who have completed four years of service under the Agnipath scheme. The first batch of Agniveers will be eligible for recruitment in the CAPFs in 2026.
Senior IPS officer Kiran S (IPS:2008:UP) has returned to his parent cadre, Uttar Pradesh, after completing a long tenure on central deputation with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), where he was serving as Deputy Inspector General (DIG).
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) had issued an order in April 2016 for his induction into the CBI as Superintendent of Police (SP), following which he joined the central deputation on June 8, 2016. Since then, Kiran S has remained on continuous central deputation with the CBI, receiving multiple extensions during his tenure.
With effect from January 1, 2026, Kiran S will be promoted to the rank of Inspector General (IG) and is expected to receive a posting accordingly in the Uttar Pradesh cadre.
Senior IPS officer Nachiketa Jha (IPS:2003:UP) has been appointed as Joint Secretary in the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) for a period of three years.
According to an order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Thursday (December 18, 2025), the competent authority has approved his appointment on deputation basis for three years from the date of assumption of charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Nachiketa Jha is currently serving as Inspector General (IG), Establishment, at the DGP Headquarters, Lucknow, and has been holding the position since January 2025. The MHA has requested the Uttar Pradesh government to relieve him immediately to enable him to take up his new assignment at the Centre.
The Punjab government’s move to elevate 32 of its non-state civil services officers (Class I gazetted) into the IAS has been stalled by the Punjab and Haryana High Court. A division bench comprising Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal and Justice Deepak Manchanda passed these orders.
The Punjab Civil Services Executive Branch Officers Association had moved the court alleging non-compliance with rules and the alleged recommendation of a few influential persons by the Punjab govt.
The petition says that the promotion of non-state civil services officers to the post of Punjab cadre of IAS under Rule 8(2) of the Indian Administrative Service (Recruitment) Rules, 1954, and the Indian Administrative Service (Appointment by Selection) Regulations, 1997, can be made only under special circumstances and only after evaluating the outstanding merit and ability of the eligible officers.
The Punjab govt had issued a circular on March 3, 2025, inviting applications from group A (class I) gazetted officers, but the petitioner says that the circular was not published in any newspaper.
The petition claimed that the circular was not brought to the notice of all other eligible Group A (Class I) gazetted officers in Punjab, and only the names of 32 officers were shortlisted by the screening committee.
Further, the petitioner argued that the officers recommended for promotion to the IAS cadre by the screening committee are primarily from two departments, water supply and sanitation department and excise and taxation department.
The court was told that the state govt did not undertake any exercise to evaluate the outstanding merit and ability of the candidates before recommending their names to the UPSC for their selection to the IAS. The HC was also informed that rules guiding the appointments by promotion say that it should not be more than 15% of the posts available for recruitment to IAS in a calendar year.
Against this background, the petitioner claimed that in the calendar year 2024-25, only eight posts of IAS were available, and therefore, only one appointment could be made through the aforementioned method, rather than 32.
The counsel for the govt submitted that the notice inviting applications was uploaded on the official website of the state govt.
The state govt has been asked to file its reply by Jan 22, 2026.
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