Senior IPS officer Abhilasha Bisht (IPS:1994) will have to report to the Andhra Pradesh government after the Hyderabad bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) refused to extend interim relief to her. The tribunal directed that she be relieved from the Telangana cadre and report to Andhra Pradesh.
Bisht had approached CAT’s Hyderabad bench challenging the Union Home Ministry’s order issued on February 21, which directed her, along with two other senior IPS officers—Anjani Kumar (IPS:1990) and Abhishek Mohanty (IPS:2011)—to be relieved from Telangana and report to the Andhra Pradesh government within 24 hours.
The tribunal, comprising judicial member Dr. Lata Baswaraj Patne and administrative member Shalini Misra, heard the petition and issued notices to the Centre, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, asking them to respond to Bisht’s application.
Bisht’s counsel requested a stay on the transfer orders until the Union and state governments filed their responses. However, the tribunal declined to grant a stay. “She can go and join there, and in the meantime, we will hear the version of the Centre and adjudicate the issue,” the tribunal stated.
According to her petition, Abhilasha Bisht was initially allotted to the West Bengal cadre. After marrying an AP cadre IPS officer, she secured a transfer to the AP cadre in 1997. Her plea highlights the presence of two junior IPS officers, Sowmya Misra (IPS:1994) and Shikha Goel (IPS:1994), who also moved to the AP cadre on spousal grounds before her transfer. Despite maintaining seniority above them for over two decades in the All-India seniority list, Bisht alleged that officials manipulated records during the state bifurcation, placing Sowmya Misra above her due to an earlier transfer date.
Meanwhile, following the Union Home Ministry’s directive, the Telangana government relieved IPS officers Anjani Kumar and Abhilasha Bisht on February 22, enabling them to assume their responsibilities in Andhra Pradesh. However, Bisht sought interim relief from CAT.
Additionally, the Telangana government has written to the Election Commission regarding the transfer of Karimnagar Police Commissioner Abhishek Mohanty. With Member of Legislative Council (MLC) elections scheduled in Karimnagar on February 27, the government has requested the State Chief Electoral Officer to decide on Mohanty’s transfer.
