CHANDIGARH: The Union Government has given Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, a 1990 batch IAS officer, a one-year extension.
Sources said that this decision was conveyed by the Department of Personnel and Training to the Haryana government on Thursday. Rastogi, who retires on June 30, was granted an extension sought by the BJP-led Haryana Government. The extension will be effective from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026.
It is learnt that with his extension, the hopes of four officers from the 1990 batch, Sudhir Rajpal, Sumita Misra, Anand Mohan Sharan and Raja Shekhar Vundru, and five officers from the 1991 batch, Vineet Garg, Anil Malik, G Anupama, A K Singh and Abhilaksh Likhi, who were in contention for the coveted post, have been dashed.
Sources said that as per the gradation list of Haryana IAS officers, Sudhir Rajpal of the 1990 batch is the senior-most as per inter-se seniority, followed by Sumita Misra, Anurag Rastogi, Anand Mohan Sharan and Raja Sekhar Vundru. However, Rastogi got the benefit of a “seniority-related dispute” among the 1990 batch officers.
Earlier, certain 1990 batch officers had moved an application against their fellow batchmates Rajpal and Misra, as they had originally been allocated non-Haryana cadres and later joined the Haryana cadre. However, Rajpal and Misra are still at number one and two in the gradation list, as there has been no decision yet on the petition against them. Rastogi currently holds the third position in the gradation list of Haryana IAS officers.
Rastogi replaced 1989-batch IAS officer Vivek Joshi, who took voluntary retirement after being appointed as Election Commissioner by the Central government, with the BJP government overlooking the seniority principle. Rastogi was also given the interim charge of chief secretary for a few days after the retirement of T V S N Prasad and before Joshi joined as chief secretary in November last year.
He was later posted as Financial Commissioner, Revenue, and also held the charge of Additional Chief Secretary, Finance and Planning. He continues to hold the finance and planning portfolios.
In the neighbouring state of Himachal Pradesh, Rastogi’s batchmate and Himachal Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena was granted a six-month extension in March by the Central government. Likewise, Manoj Ahuja, a 1990 batch officer and Odisha Chief Secretary who was due to retire in December last year, was given a one-year extension by the Central government from January 1 on the recommendation of the state government.
Sources further added that since Rule 16(1) of the All-India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958, provides for only a six-month extension in service for the chief secretary, the Central government relaxed this rule by invoking Rule 3 of the All India Service (Conditions of Service—Residuary Matters) Rules, 1960, to grant Rastogi a 12-month extension.
Rule 3 of the All India Service (Conditions of Service—Residuary Matters) Rules, 1960, empowers the Central government to dispense with or relax the requirements of any rule or regulation made under the All India Services Act, 1951.