In a significant development, the Centre has approved the promotion of eight senior Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officers of the 1990 batch to the grade of Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (Pr. CCIT). The promotions have been made for the panel year 2026 on an in-situ basis.
According to an office order issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on December 31, 2025, the officers have been elevated to the Pr. CCIT rank at Level 17 of the Pay Matrix. The promotions is effective from January 1, 2026, or from the date of assumption of charge, whichever is later, and will remain valid until further orders.
The officers promoted include Asit Singh, Sunil Bajpai, Alok Kumar, Aparna Mittal Agarwal, Narender Kumar, Dirisam Sudhakara Rao, Priscilla Singsit, and N. Longvah.
The order further states that upon promotion, the officers will continue to hold their existing posts until formal posting orders are issued.
The central government on Thursday (January 1, 2026) appointed seven IPS officers of the 2012 batch as Deputy Inspectors General (DIG) in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), the appointments will be effective from the date of assumption of charge and will be valid for the tenure mentioned against each officer or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
The officers and their approved tenures are as follows:
M. Harsha Vardhan (IPS:2012:AGMUT) – tenure up to June 3, 2030 (5th year)
Navdeep Singh Brar (IPS:2012:AGMUT) – tenure up to July 29, 2027 (7th year)
C. Kalaichelvan (IPS:2012:TN) – tenure up to December 31, 2028 (5th year)
Jashandeep Singh Randhawa (IPS:2012:HY) – tenure up to August 20, 2029 (5th year)
Gaurav Singh (IPS:2012:MH) – tenure up to October 18, 2028 (5th year)
Suhail Sharma (IPS:2012:MH) – tenure up to January 2, 2029 (5th year)
Raguramarajan A. (IPS:2012:NL) – tenure up to September 15, 2026 (7th year)
The country’s biggest bureaucrat, Cabinet Secretary TV Somanathan (IAS:1987:TN), shared his views on what is coming in the way of implementing the infrastructure projects in this country. The Cabinet Secretary disclosed that so far projects of Rs 85 lakh crore have been cleared by the PM-led panel as states and the Centre have worked together to resolve the issues facing their implementation.
While addressing a rare press conference on Friday, Somanathan cited land acquisition and forest and wildlife clearances as the main hurdles for delay in the implementation of the infrastructure projects. He also opined that development won’t take place at the cost of democracy.
His comment has come at a time when a section of the business community is demanding a review of the land acquisition policy to speed up the implementation of projects, with a section of the corporate sector often citing the Chinese model of infrastructure creation to be followed in India.
But the Cabinet Secretary ruled out any such plans to change the land acquisition policy.
Somananthan shared the data at the press conference showing 35% of 7,735 issues raised under multi-layer Pragati were related to land acquisition, followed by 20% dealing with wildlife and forest clearances.
He said of 382 projects reviewed by PM Narendra Modi in 50 meetings, almost two-thirds related to land and forest. Among the sectors, roads were on top (114 projects), followed by railways (109) and power (54). He said at least half the issues are related to land acquisition for railways and roads.
Speaking on the impact of the review of projects by PM Modi under this initiative, Somanathan said on average, one issue was resolved every working day after review under Pragati.
Manoj Govil (IAS:1991:MP), who is Secretary (coordination) in the Cabinet Secretariat, pointed out that the average time taken for forest and wildlife clearance has come down from over 600 days to around 75 days.
The Union government has notified the appointment of four Chief Justices to different High Courts, according to separate notifications issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice.
Justice Mahesh Sharadchandra Sonak, a judge of the Bombay High Court, has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court. His appointment was notified on January 2. Justice Sonak will assume charge after the incumbent Chief Justice, Tarlok Singh Chauhan, demits office on January 8.
In another appointment, the Meghalaya High Court will get a new Chief Justice with the appointment of Justice Revati Prashant Mohite Dere, currently serving as a judge of the Bombay High Court. Her appointment was notified on January 1, 2026, and she will assume charge following the transfer of the incumbent Chief Justice.
The outgoing Chief Justice of the Meghalaya High Court, Justice Soumen Sen, has been appointed as the Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court. He will succeed Justice Nitin Madhukar Jamdar, who is scheduled to retire on January 9, 2026.
Meanwhile, the judiciary also witnessed another key appointment with Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo, a judge of the Orissa High Court, being named as the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court. His appointment will take effect from the date he assumes charge.
The Supreme Court collegium had, on December 18, recommended the appointment and transfer of several Chief Justices and judges to head different High Courts. While three of these recommendations have been notified so far, the government is yet to notify the appointments of Justice Manoj Kumar Gupta of the Allahabad High Court as Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court, and Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque of the Kerala High Court as Chief Justice of the Sikkim High Court.
Gujarat IAS officer Rajendrakumar Patel (IAS:2015:GJ) has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with a money laundering case. He was picked up from Gandhinagar late on Thursday evening and taken to Surendranagar for investigation. The case relates to his stint as Surendranagar District Magistrate. Patel happens to be the second civil servant to be arrested by the enforcement agency in this case.
Patel had been removed from the District Collector’s post on December 24 following the arrest of a deputy mamlatdar.
Apart from the ED, the state’s Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) also recently registered cases against him along with his personal assistant Jayrajsinh Jhala, clerk Mayursinh Gohil, and deputy mamlatdar Chandrasinh Mori after the seizure of ₹67.5 lakh in cash from Mori’s residence and his subsequent arrest.
According to ED sources, Mori could not satisfactorily explain the source of the cash, following which the agency treated the seized cash as proceeds of crime generated through corrupt practices. At the same time, the ED concluded that the cash recovery pointed to an organised method of illegal collections carried out from the collectorate, rather than an isolated act by a single official.
Being the head of the district administration, Patel exercised final authority over land use and other key revenue decisions processed through the collectorate.
ED alleged that the accused collected bribes as “speed money” to expedite applications and that proceeds of crime exceeding ₹1 crore were generated through misuse of official position.
The suddenness with which senior IPS officer Shamsher Singh (IPS:1991:GJ) was prematurely repatriated to his parent Gujarat cadre has fueled intense speculation that he could be in contention for the post of the state’s next Director General of Police (DGP). Singh’s repatriation was ordered by the central government with immediate effect on Thursday. He was serving as Additional Director General (ADG) of the BSF on central deputation.
The office order, signed on Friday, has been forwarded to the Gujarat Chief Secretary and the state DGP, among others.
Singh’s sudden repatriation has come a day after senior IPS officer K L N Rao (IPS:1992:GJ) was appointed in-charge DGP of Gujarat, following the retirement of the previous police chief Vikas Sahay (IPS:1989:GJ). As Rao’s appointment is interim, it triggered discussions on who will be appointed the regular head of the state police.
The speculation is natural, as when senior officers return from central deputation ahead of schedule, it is interpreted as having been done for key assignments in their home state.
Besides gaining extensive experience in internal security and border management during his stint with the BSF, Singh has vast experience serving in several important positions in Gujarat, including as Vadodara police commissioner and as chief of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).
While no official announcement regarding the appointment of a permanent DGP has been made by the state government, an officer’s seniority, administrative experience, and exposure to central forces are often weighed while making such decisions, and Singh’s profile makes him a strong contender for the DGP post.
In a key development, Kishore Gurdasani, currently serving as Executive Director at Advanced Weapons and Equipment India Limited (AWEIL), has been appointed as Director (Operations) of the company.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Thursday (January 1, 2026), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the proposal of the Department of Defence Production for his appointment to the post of Director (Operations), AWEIL.
Notably, the Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) had recommended Gurdasani’s name for the position on September 13, 2025, after interviewing five candidates for the post.
The central deputation tenure of senior IAS officer P Bala Kiran (IAS:2008:KL), currently serving as Joint Secretary in the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), has been extended by two years.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Friday (January 2, 2026), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the extension of his deputation for a further period of two years beyond February 28, 2026, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
Kiran has been serving as Joint Secretary in DoPT since October 2024, with his original tenure scheduled to conclude on February 28, 2026, completing an overall central deputation tenure of five years. Prior to joining DoPT, he had served as Director of Census Operations (DCO) and Director of Citizen Registration (DCR), Andhra Pradesh from February 28, 2021.
Senior IAS officer Niraj Verma (IAS:1994:AM), who is currently serving as Secretary, Department of Justice in the Ministry of Law and Justice, has been assigned the additional charge of Secretary, Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs.
According to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Friday (January 3, 2026), the competent authority has approved the assignment of the additional charge to Niraj Verma for the period from January 3, 2026 to January 29, 2026. He will hold the charge during the leave period of the regular incumbent, Nikunja Bihari Dhal (IAS:1993:OR).
In a significant development, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Friday (January 2, 2025) has effected a minor but important reshuffle in the AGMUT cadre with immediate effect.
Senior IPS officer Anand Mohan (IPS:1994:AGMUT), who was serving as Director General of Police (DGP), Arunachal Pradesh, has been transferred to Delhi. In his place, Shiv Darshan Singh Jamwal (IPS:1995:AGMUT) has been appointed as the new DGP of Arunachal Pradesh. Prior to this appointment, Jamwal was serving as DGP, Ladakh.
Meanwhile, Mukesh Singh (IPS:1996:AGMUT), on repatriation from central deputation, has been appointed as DGP, Ladakh.
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