Neeraj Kumar Singh (IAS:2012:MP), currently serving as Private Secretary (at Deputy Secretary level) to the Minister of State for Commerce & Industry and Electronics and Information Technology, Jitin Prasada, has been re-designated as Private Secretary at the Director level in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology.
According to an order issued by Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Thursday (January 15, 2026), the competent authority has approved the proposal for re-designation of the post as a personal measure in favour of Neeraj Kumar Singh. The re-designation will take effect from the date he assumes charge of the re-designated post and will remain valid up to September 29, 2030, or on a co-terminus basis with the Minister, or until he ceases to function as Private Secretary to the Minister, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
The order further stated that the central deputation tenure of Neeraj Kumar Singh under the Central Staffing Scheme is effective from September 30, 2025.
Rajasthan cadre IPS officer Pooja Awana (IPS:2012:RJ), currently serving as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM), has been re-designated as Director in the same department.
According to an Office Memorandum issued on Thursday (January 16, 2026), the competent authority has approved the proposal to re-designate the post of Deputy Secretary presently held by Awana as Director as a measure personal to her. The re-designation will take effect from the date she assumes charge of the re-designated post.
As per the order, Awana will hold the post of Director for a period up to September 3, 2030, which constitutes the total admissible tenure of five years under the Central Staffing Scheme.
It is noteworthy that the central deputation tenure of Pooja Awana commenced with effect from September 4, 2025.
In a key development, former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Bihar cadre, Praveen Vashista (IPS:1991:BH), on Friday (January 16, 2026) took oath as a Vigilance Commissioner in the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC). He was administered the oath of office by Central Vigilance Commissioner P K Srivastava.
With Vashista’s induction, the Central Vigilance Commission is now functioning at full strength. The anti-corruption watchdog is headed by a Central Vigilance Commissioner and can have a maximum of two Vigilance Commissioners. As per rules, a Vigilance Commissioner holds office for four years or until attaining the age of 65 years, whichever is earlier.
Vashista was appointed as a Vigilance Commissioner last month. Since the post is a constitutional position, he was required to demit government service prior to assuming office and, accordingly, sought voluntary retirement from the Central and Bihar governments.
Although the rules mandate a three-month notice period for voluntary retirement, the Bihar government, considering the significance of his appointment, relaxed the requirement. As per a notification issued by the state Home Department, the mandatory notice period was waived, allowing him to retire with immediate effect.
Prior to his appointment, Vashista was serving as Special Secretary (Internal Security) in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
A 1991-batch IPS officer of the Bihar cadre, Vashista has had a distinguished career spanning over three decades, handling a wide range of responsibilities in law enforcement, internal security, crisis management, and administration.
During his tenure in Bihar, he served as Inspector General in the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). He also held key field assignments as Superintendent of Police in districts such as Ranchi, Dumka, and Garhwa.
At the central level, Vashista served in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as Superintendent of Police and later as Deputy Inspector General. During his central deputation in the Ministry of Home Affairs, he held several crucial positions, including Joint Secretary, Additional Secretary, and Special Secretary (Internal Security).
Dileep Kumar Rajput (IRSSE:2012), currently serving as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Health and Family Welfare, has been re-designated as Director in the same department.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Wednesday (January 14, 2026), the competent authority has approved the proposal to re-designate the post as a personal measure in favour of Rajput. The re-designation will take effect from the date he assumes charge of the re-designated post and will remain valid up to December 28, 2027.
The order clarifies that this period falls within the total admissible central deputation tenure of five years under the Central Staffing Scheme. Notably, Rajput’s central deputation tenure commenced with effect from December 29, 2022.
Aneesh Hegde(IRTS:2014) has been appointed as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Minister of State for Jal Shakti and Railways, V. Somanna, for a period of four years. His appointment has been made in the Ministry of Railways at the Deputy Secretary level.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Wednesday (January 14, 2026), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal for Hegde’s appointment to the post. His tenure will be for four years from the date he assumes charge, or on a co-terminus basis with the Minister, or until he ceases to function as OSD to the Minister, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
The central deputation tenure of Bhawna Gulati (IRS-IT:2011), presently serving as Chief Accounts Officer (CAO), Delhi Development Authority (DDA) under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, has been prematurely curtailed, and she has been repatriated to her parent cadre, the Department of Revenue.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on January 14, 2026, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved the proposal of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for her repatriation, subject to an extended cooling-off condition.
As per the order, Gulati will be eligible for another central deputation only after December 12, 2030, upon completion of the prescribed cooling-off period following her normal deputation tenure.
Gulati had assumed charge as CAO, DDA on December 12, 2023, for a four-year tenure that was originally scheduled to end in December 2027. However, her deputation has now been brought to an early close, and she will return to her parent cadre with an extended cooling-off period.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has added a new dimension to its ongoing legal battle with Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee by trying to implead the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) in it. The agency moved the Supreme Court on Thursday seeking to implead the MHA and DoPT in its legal wrangling with Mamata over her alleged attempt to foil ED’s search operation against the political consultancy firm, I-PAC, in Kolkata on January 8.
The ED has appealed to the apex court even before establishing the veracity of reports that WB Chief Secretary Nandini Chakravorty was also accompanying Mamata when she rushed to I-PAC chief Pratik Jain’s residence when the central agency’s search was underway. The development coincided with SC taking up ED’s original criminal writ petition.
While terming the January 8 incident as “serious,” the apex court issued notice to the Bengal CM and top state officials, including DGP Rajeev Kumar, and promised to look into the larger issue of state agencies interfering in actions of central agencies.
The fate of the ED’s fresh appeal seeking to implead the MHA and the DoPT will be decided by the Bengal govt’s response to the top court’s notice. The state govt has justified DGP Kumar accompanying Mamata to Jain’s residence by saying that the CM was a ‘Z-category protectee.’
The ED in its fresh appeal has sought “impleadment of proposed respondents 7-9” as party respondents in the present criminal writ petition. It is worth mentioning here that DoPT is respondent No. 7, the Home Ministry is respondent No. 8, and respondent No. 9 is the Bengal govt through its Chief Secretary.
It is pertinent here to list the other respondents in ED’s criminal petition filed before the top court.
In ED’s criminal petition, CM Mamata Banerjee is respondent No. 2, DGP Rajeev Kumar is respondent No. 3, Kolkata Police Commissioner Manoj Verma is respondent No. 4, Priyabrata Roy, DCP South Kolkata, is respondent No. 5, and CBI is respondent No. 6.
ED’s argument for impleading respondents 7-9 (DoPT, MHA, and Bengal CS) is that they are necessary/proper parties in the present matter to initiate actions against the erring senior police officers, who were allegedly party to the disruption of ED’s search proceedings.
This is not the first time that central agencies have got engaged in a legal tangle with IPS officer Rajeev Kumar. It should be recalled that way back in 2019, when he was Kolkata police commissioner, CBI had raided his residence. In retaliation, the state police team had detained CBI officers, leading to the agency approaching courts for seeking action against him. The case is pending before the SC.
The Allahabad High Court has given a ruling that will benefit all those State Civil Service officers who are inducted into the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) on probation. The High Court has ruled that all such officers are entitled to the same pay scale benefits granted to their juniors in the State Civil Service, as long as they retain their lien on the state post.
Setting aside the orders of the Central Administrative Tribunal, the High Court directed the Union Government and State authorities to release arrears of pay based on the pay scale of Rs. 67,000-79,000/- w.e.f. June 20, 2013, along with 6 percent interest.
The Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Kshitij Shailendra, gave its ruling while hearing the writ petitions filed by Badal Chatterjee and Shankar Singh challenging the denial of benefits. They argued that they were governed by All India Service (AIS) rules and had not been confirmed in the IAS.
The High Court held that under Government of India decisions and relevant Office Memoranda, a probationer retains a lien on the State Service and is entitled to all benefits, including confirmation in the Selection Grade, before confirmation in the AIS.
The petitioner, Badal Chatterjee, was a 1979 batch Provincial Civil Service (PCS) officer of Uttar Pradesh, who was inducted into the IAS on probation on November 28, 2012. During his probation period in the IAS, PCS officers of his 1979 batch were granted the pay scale of Rs. 67,000-79,000/- on June 20, 2013, but he was denied these benefits.
The petitioner moved the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), challenging the denial, but his petition was dismissed by the CAT on December 23, 2024. The Tribunal said that the petitioner had a “choice to revert back” to the PCS to avail of the promotion and that his service conditions were governed by AIS rules.
On the other hand, the petitioner claimed parity with his juniors in the State cadre, citing his lien on the PCS post. In the meantime, he retired on February 28, 2015, as Commissioner of the Food Safety and Drugs Administration, but despite his several representations and a previous order from the tribunal directing the authorities to decide his claim, the relief was denied to him.
The core legal issue before the court was to decide whether an officer inducted into the All India Services (AIS) on probation, while maintaining a lien in the State Civil Services, is entitled to pay upgrades granted to their juniors in the State cadre.
The Bench referred to the Office Memorandum dated 01.12.1994, which explicitly states that emoluments of officers promoted from PCS to IAS shall not be less than the emoluments of junior officers.
The High Court also rejected the govt’s contention that benefits apply only upon confirmation and that the petitioner had relinquished the PCS after induction into the IAS and retired during the probation period.
The Union Ministry of Home Affairs has approved the appointment of four senior IPS officers as Additional Director General (ADG) in different Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).
According to order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday (January 15, 2026), the competent authority has cleared the appointments against existing vacancies, effective from the date the officers assume charge. All appointments are in Level-15 of the Pay Matrix, and the officers’ combined deputation tenure will be governed by provisions of the IPS Tenure Policy.
Anand Pratap Singh (IPS:1997:HP), currently serving as Inspector General in the Border Security Force, has been appointed as Additional Director General in the force. His deputation tenure will be counted from December 28, 2023.
Sumit Sharan (IPS:1997:TN), also serving as Inspector General in the BSF, has been elevated to the rank of Additional Director General against an existing vacancy. His deputation tenure is reckoned from January 15, 2022.
Ashish Batra (IPS:1997:JH), Inspector General in the National Investigation Agency, has been appointed as Additional Director General in the agency. His deputation tenure is counted from September 17, 2019.
Sanjay Kumar Gunjyal (IPS:1997:UK), currently Inspector General in the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, has been appointed as Additional Director General in the ITBP. His deputation tenure is effective from April 18, 2022.
The Himachal Pradesh government on Wednesday (January 14, 2026) ordered the promotion of five Indian Police Service (IPS) officers from the 1995 and 1996 batches to the rank of Director General of Police (DGP) in Level-16 of the Pay Matrix. The promotions have been given effect from January 1, 2026.
From the 1995 batch, Satinder Pal Singh and N Venugopal, both currently on central deputation, have been promoted on a proforma basis. Satinder Pal Singh is presently serving as Additional Secretary in the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, while N Venugopal is posted as Additional Director in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Among the 1996 batch officers, Satwant Atwal Trivedi, who is currently serving as Additional Director General-cum-Commandant General, Home Guards, Civil Defence and Fire Services, Himachal Pradesh, has been promoted to the rank of Director General pf Police on a regular basis.
Additionally, Ajay Kumar Yadav, presently posted as Principal Resident Commissioner, New Delhi, and Abhishek Trivedi, who is serving as Additional Director General, Prisons and Correctional Services, Himachal Pradesh, have also been promoted on a regular basis.
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