Senior IAS officer Iqbal Singh Chahal (IAS:1989:MH), who missed the post of Maharashtra Chief Secretary multiple times, has been given a significant post-retirement assignment by the state government. Chahal, set to retire on January 31, 2026, has been appointed Chairman of the Mumbai Police Housing Township Project with the rank of Minister of State (MoS). He will assume charge from February 1, 2026, with a tenure of five years.
Chahal becomes the second senior bureaucrat in the current government to be granted an MoS-rank post after retirement, following Praveen Pardeshi (IAS:1985:MH), who was appointed Chief Economic Adviser to the Chief Minister and CEO of the Maharashtra Institution for Transformation (MITRA).
The Mumbai Police Housing Township Project is a flagship state initiative aimed at providing quality residential accommodation to Mumbai Police personnel and their families, with the objective of improving living standards and welfare within the police force.
Currently serving as Additional Chief Secretary, Home Department, Chahal has long been regarded as a no-nonsense and result-oriented administrator and has consistently remained among the most influential officers in the state bureaucracy. Despite his seniority and administrative track record, he repeatedly missed out on the coveted Chief Secretary’s post.
Chahal emerged as a strong contender when then Chief Secretary Sujata Saunik (IAS:1987:MH) was due to retire on June 30, 2025. At that time, he was among the frontrunners along with Rajesh Kumar Meena (IAS:1988:MH) and Bhushan A. Gagrani (IAS:1990:MH). However, the state government appointed Rajesh Kumar Meena, who was senior to Chahal in service.
Chahal’s prospects briefly revived when Rajesh Kumar Meena was scheduled to retire on August 31, 2025, as another senior officer of the same batch, Rajesh Aggarwal (IAS:1989:MH), was on central deputation at the time. However, Chahal’s chances were stalled after Meena’s tenure was extended by three months till November 30, 2025.
Chahal again figured in the probable list when the process to identify Meena’s successor began. But before Meena’s extended tenure could expire, Rajesh Aggarwal, who was serving as Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, was repatriated to his parent cadre Maharashtra on October 28, 2025, at the request of the state government. The repatriation was clearly aimed at appointing Aggarwal as the next Chief Secretary. On November 28, 2025, Aggarwal was appointed Chief Secretary of Maharashtra, once again ending Chahal’s chances of occupying the top bureaucratic post in the state.
With Aggarwal’s appointment, several senior officers from the 1990 batch, including Bhushan Gagrani, Anil Diggikar, Deepak Kapoor, O.P. Gupta, and Meeta Lochan (on central deputation) also lost the opportunity to become Chief Secretary, as all are due to retire before Aggarwal completes his tenure on November 30, 2026.
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