Senior IPS officer Love Kumar (IPS:2004:UP), who has been serving in the Special Protection Group (SPG) since April 2024, will continue to hold the post of Inspector General (IG) for one more year.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Wednesday (April 22, 2026), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal of the Office of Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat, to extend his tenure.
Notably, Love Kumar was initially appointed in SPG by temporarily upgrading the DIG-level post held by him to IG level for a period of two years. The latest order extends this arrangement by one more year beyond April 4, 2026, thereby marking the third year of his tenure at the IG level.
The extension continues the temporary upgradation of the post of Deputy Inspector General (DIG) (Level-13A) to Inspector General (IG) (Level-14), indicating that the position remains non-permanent in nature.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) on Tuesday (April 21, 2026) approved the empanelment of 41 officers from various services for appointment to Joint Secretary or equivalent posts in the Government of India.
This comes close on the heels of an earlier empanelment cleared on April 8, 2026, when 64 officers were approved for Joint Secretary-level posts.
The empanelled officers are from multiple services, including the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS), Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax), Indian Railway Traffic Service (IRTS), Indian Railway Accounts Service (IRAS), Indian Audit & Accounts Service (IA&AS), and the Central Secretariat Service (CSS).
The Union government on Wednesday (April 22, 2026) notified the appointment of Justice Lisa Gill as the Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, making her the first woman to hold the post.
“In exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 217 of the Constitution of India, the President is pleased to appoint Smt. Justice Lisa Gill, Judge of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, to be Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court with effect from April 25, 2026,” read the notification issued by Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal.
Justice Gill brings nearly 36 years of experience in the legal field, including over 11 years as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
She will assume charge on April 25, following the retirement of Dhiraj Singh Thakur on April 24.
Earlier, the Supreme Court Collegium had recommended her name on February 26 for appointment as Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High Court when she was serving as a judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Last month, Justice Gill was transferred from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to the Andhra Pradesh High Court in line with the policy for early transfers of prospective Chief Justices.
The Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) has directed the West Bengal government to grant a No Objection Certificate (NOC) for the cadre change to IPS officer Mane Swapnil Tukaram (IPS: 2022: WB). The IPS officer is seeking his cadre to be changed from West Bengal to Karnataka on the grounds of his marriage to Karnataka cadre IPS officer Shaloo (IPS: 2021: KN).
Interestingly, the Karnataka government has already granted its NOC for the proposed inter-cadre transfer of the applicant, but it is the Bengal government that is sitting on the file by neither granting NOC nor communicating any decision, thereby causing undue delay in the matter. It is happening despite repeated representations and requests for processing his application by Mane.
Not only this, but the applicant even sent reminders to the Bengal government for the same and later moved the CAT, which has ruled that the Bengal government’s failure to grant NOC would be considered as NOC deemed to have been issued.
The CAT thus directed the Bengal govt to relieve Mane to join the Karnataka Cadre within the stipulated time frame, failing which the applicant would be deemed to be relieved after the expiry of said period.
A bizarre incident during Bihar Chief Secretary Pratyay Amrit (IAS:1991:BH)’s visit to Kishanganj on Monday has created a flutter in the state’s administrative circles. The Chief Secretary, who was on a Kishanganj visit, became angry after spotting a vehicle with a West Bengal registration number arranged by the local administration to pick him up from the airport.
Pratyay Amrit got so enraged that he flatly refused to ride in it and traveled to the Kishanganj Collectorate in the Purnia Divisional Commissioner’s official vehicle as an alternative, held a meeting with officials there with DGP Vinay Kumar, and returned to Patna without lunch.
The news has become a topic of discussion in administrative circles, as even after the meeting ended, the Chief Secretary’s anger did not subside. It is being reported that Amrit was scheduled to have lunch after the meeting, but he immediately left for Patna without lunch.
The incident has led to administrative circles being abuzz with discussions. Various speculations are being made among officials, while questions are also being raised about the functioning of the district administration.
The Chief Secretary reached Kishenganj to hold a high-level meeting on security in Seemanchal on Monday. He chaired the meeting attended by DGP Vinay Kumar (IPS:1991:BH) along with DMs and SPs of Kishanganj and Araria districts, among others, and officers of the Sashastra Seema Bal (ASSB). Security-related issues in the districts bordering the India-Nepal border were reviewed in this meeting.
It should be noted here that the central government is strict about security in border districts, and just two months ago, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had formulated a strategy to prevent infiltration and encroachment by outsiders in the Seemanchal region. In February, Shah held three days of meetings in Purnia, Kishanganj, Katihar, and Araria districts. He worked with officials from all districts bordering Nepal and senior SSB officers to develop an action plan.
It is reported that Amit Shah will again review security challenges in the districts bordering Nepal in Delhi next month, where Chief Secretary Pratyay Amrit and DGP Vinay Kumar will also be present. That is the reason why the Chief Secretary and DGP were visiting the border districts to review the situation.
Dr Keneilhoutuolie Maichineo (IFoS:2006:CG) has been appointed as Director of Census Operations/Director of Citizen Registration (Director level) for Nagaland for a period of three years.
Awanish Kumar (IAS:2014:AGMUT), currently serving in Lakshadweep as Secretary handling multiple portfolios including Education, Sports & Youth Affairs, Industries, Legal, Art & Culture, and CEO Election, has been given additional charge of Director of Census Operations/Director of Citizen Registration (Deputy Secretary level) in Lakshadweep for a period of three years.
Sonal Swaroop (IAS:2012:AGMUT) has been appointed as Director of Census Operations/Director of Citizen Registration (Director level) for Arunachal Pradesh and Meghalaya for a period of three years.
IAS officerAbhijit Vijay Chaudhari (IAS:2012:AGMUT) has been appointed as Deputy Financial Advisor (Director level) in the Border Security Force (BSF), Chandigarh, for a period of three years.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (April 21, 2026), the competent authority has approved his appointment on deputation basis under the Ministry of Home Affairs, in terms of the Central Staffing Scheme, for a period of three years from the date of assumption of charge of the post or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
He will replace Nitika Pawar (IAS:2012:AGMUT), who had been serving in the post since April 2023 and was recently appointed as General Manager, Food Corporation of India (FCI), Punjab Region, on January 30, 2026, for a period of three years.
Chaudhari has been serving in the Chandigarh Administration since March 15, 2024, where he handled multiple departments, including Education, Tourism Development Corporation, Vigilance, Environment & Forest, Home, and Law & Justice.
Prior to his posting in Chandigarh, he served in Puducherry as Secretary to the Lieutenant Governor.
Senior Odisha cadre IAS officer Bijay Ketan Upadhyaya (IAS:2009:OD) finally got relief from the High Court, which has quashed a three-year-old vigilance case against him. The court ruled that the prosecution was undermined by a flawed sanction process under anti-corruption law while noting that “the issue relating to sanction discloses a serious procedural infirmity.”
The IAS officer is currently posted as Secretary of the Odia language, literature, and culture department.
The High Court judgment was passed on April 17 by the single-judge bench of Justice Sanjeeb Kumar Panigrahi. The High Court virtually set aside the order of the special vigilance court, which had taken cognisance of offences charged against Upadhyaya under the Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act and Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code.
The case against Upadhyaya was filed following allegations of illegal gratification demanded and accepted by him for clearing bills of a supplier when he was serving as Director of Horticulture.
Justice Panigrahi, while considering the criminal miscellaneous petition filed by Upadhyay, focused on the need for prior sanction under Section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and set aside the special judge’s order in the absence of a proper prosecution sanction.
The HC also flagged the delay in proceedings, noting that although cognisance was taken over two years ago, charges have not yet been framed. “Allowing the proceeding to continue despite the unresolved defect in sanction would only prolong a prosecution whose very initiation… is procedurally vulnerable,” Justice Panigrahi opined.
While observing that the issue went to the “foundational legality of the prosecution,” Justice Panigrahi quashed the cognisance order and all consequential proceedings against the officer. The judge, however, said that the competent authority was at liberty to reconsider the issue of granting prosecution sanction afresh in accordance with law.
IAS officer Preeti Yadav (IAS:2014:PB) has been appointed as General Manager (Regions) in the Food Corporation of India (FCI), Panchkula, Haryana, for a period of three years.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday (April 21, 2026), the competent authority has approved her appointment on deputation basis under the Department of Food and Public Distribution, in terms of the Central Staffing Scheme, for a period of three years with effect from August 21, 2026 or from the date of assumption of charge of the post, whichever is earlier.
Preeti Yadav is presently serving in her parent cadre as Managing Director, MARKFED. She has recently been relieved by the Punjab government following a request from the Chandigarh Administration, which had sought recommendations of officers from Punjab to address the shortage of officers in the Union Territory administration.
A number of recent transfers of IAS officers from Delhi have created problems for key administrative positions in the national capital. In the past two months, at least 14 IAS officers have been shifted out of Delhi under what are called “routine cadre management exercises.” But it has widened the administrative gap as no replacements have been made.
Though, according to the official data, Delhi has a sanctioned strength of 130 IAS officers, only around 98 officers are currently in position. This means about 25%—or one in four—sanctioned IAS posts in Delhi are vacant. This situation has largely arisen due to recent transfers.
This is one aspect; its impact on governance is another as outgoing officers handled key portfolios such as ministerial secretariats, home department responsibilities, and municipal administration.
As per the Home Ministry’s orders, these officers have been transferred to AGMUT cadre regions, including Puducherry, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, and Chandigarh. They will be relieved between April 18 and June 1.
An April 17 order lists seven IAS officers, including PWD and Water Secretary Rajeeva Shukla, Home and Education Secretary Anoop Thakur, and Additional Home Secretary Saumyaketu Mishra, who have been relieved from their Delhi positions with immediate effect. This followed a February 24 order where seven IAS officers were shifted to other Union territories.
The result is multiple departments are operating under additional charge arrangements, putting administrative coordination and execution timelines under pressure. Several important departments, including Urban Development, Transport, and Revenue, are currently being managed by officers holding additional responsibilities. This arrangement, while functional, overburdens existing officers and is bound to impact administrative efficiency.
Officials feel the absence of backfilling has created a temporary but significant administrative vacuum, particularly at middle and senior levels. They say there is a need to review routine transfer policies to match the needs of states and UTs.
The issue is further compounded by broader cadre-level constraints within the AGMUT pool, which caters to multiple UTs and smaller states. The reason is obvious—the total sanctioned IAS strength for the AGMUT cadre is 542, while around 412 officers are currently in position, leading to competing demands across regions.
Further, the shortage is also linked to structural gaps in the feeder cadre. DANICS has a sanctioned strength of around 309 posts in its Delhi segment, but actual numbers remain significantly lower due to promotions, deputations, and recruitment delays.
Officials estimate vacancy levels in DANICS at 25-35%, further straining the administrative pipeline.
According to an official, the Union Home Ministry, which manages postings for the AGMUT cadre, is expected to review Delhi’s staffing requirements in the coming weeks, but no official timeline has been given.
The timing of the shortage assumes significance as the current government is in the early phase of its tenure and relies on experienced bureaucrats for policy implementation and continuity.
Get Latest Updates