NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued an order appointing senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Rakesh Aggarwal as the interim chief of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) following the government’s decision to prematurely repatriate incumbent Director General (DG) Sadanand Vasant Date to Maharashtra.
Himachal Pradesh cadre IPS officer of 1994-batch Aggarwal is currently serving as Special DG in the NIA. He was appointed as the Special DG of the NIA on September 29, 2025, on an in-situ basis by temporarily upgrading his existing Additional Director General (ADG) post for two-year tenure or until further orders.
In the office memorandum the MHA said, Aggarwal will now hold the additional charge of the NIA DG till the appointment of a regular incumbent or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
The MHA's decision came after the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) had earlier approved the premature repatriation of Date, a 1990-batch Maharashtra cadre IPS officer, to his parent cadre with immediate effect.
Date is expected to take charge of the post of the DGP of Maharashtra, as the incumbent 1988-batch IPS officer Rashmi Shukla is scheduled to complete her two-year fixed tenure on December 31, 2025.
Date had been leading the federal anti-terror probe agency since April 1, 2024 and was overseeing several sensitive probes linked to terrorism, organised crime and national security.
“Assignment of additional charge of the post of DG, NIA to Rakesh Aggarwal, IPS(HP:1994), SDG, NIA, upon premature repatriation of Shri Sadanand Vasant Date, IPS(MH:1990) till the appointment of a regular incumbent or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” the MHA said in its office memorandum.
Aggarwal’s appointment as interim DG is seen as an administrative measure by the MHA to maintain stability and continuity in the agency, while the Centre initiates the process to appoint a full-time chief.
Aggarwal is considered to be a seasoned counter-terrorism and internal security professional with extensive experience in handling complex investigations. In his current position in the NIA, he has been associated with several high-profile cases involving terror financing, radicalisation networks and cross-border linkages.
Now with him at the helm of the NIA, Aggarwal is set to provide leadership at a time when the agency is engaged with an expanding mandate and increasingly sophisticated security challenges, which the country has been facing with every passing day.