In a significant development, the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has rejected the Haryana government’s proposal to compulsorily retire IAS officer Rani Nagar (IAS:2014:HY), who has been absent from duty since October 2020. Instead, the UPSC has recommended a lesser punishment—demotion in her service grade for two years. However, the state government has disagreed with this suggestion and now plans to revise and resubmit its proposal.
Rani Nagar, a native of Uttar Pradesh, was last posted as Additional Secretary and Director in the Archives Department of Haryana. She worked in the role from March 11 to October 27, 2020. After that, she went on unauthorised leave and did not respond to several notices from the government. Citing her continued absence, the state had sent a proposal to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on June 9, 2023, recommending her compulsory retirement. The DoPT forwarded this to the UPSC for its opinion.
On May 30, 2024, the UPSC rejected the retirement proposal and instead recommended a two-year grade reduction as disciplinary action. The Commission did not give any detailed explanation for this decision. The DoPT shared the UPSC’s recommendation with the Haryana government on June 11, 2024.
Still not satisfied, the Haryana government re-sent the retirement proposal to the Centre on January 20, 2025. But the DoPT returned the file on January 30, asking the state to clearly explain why it disagreed with the UPSC’s recommendation. It also asked the state to include a written response from Ms. Rani Nagar, which had not been submitted earlier.
Following this, the Haryana government sent the UPSC recommendation and related documents to Ms. Nagar several times—on April 2, May 14, June 9, and June 24, 2025—through email and registered post. The government is still waiting for her reply.
Once her response is received, the Haryana government is expected to revise the proposal and send it again to the DoPT for further consideration.
As of now, the case is pending. The final decision will depend on procedural compliance and further deliberations between the state, the DoPT, and the UPSC.
Also Read: No response to notices: Haryana IAS officer may be removed from service
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