HYDERABAD: The Hyderabad Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) on Friday quashed the October 9, 2024, orders issued by the Union government directing the reallocation of IAS officer Siva Sankar Lotheti to the Andhra Pradesh cadre.
A bench of Dr Lata Baswaraj Patne (judicial member) and Varun Sindhu Kulkaumudi (administrative member) of the CAT ruled in favour of the applicant by ordering the Union government, represented by the Secretary, Department of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension, to pass appropriate orders within four weeks of receiving the order.
The Tribunal also directed the Andhra Pradesh government, represented by its chief secretary, and the Telangana government, represented by its chief secretary, to take immediate consequential actions in compliance with the directive.
Lotheti had filed an original application (OA) challenging the orders passed by the Union government. The Centre’s orders were based on the recommendations of the Khandekar Committee report dated July 16, 2024.
Lotheti contended that the rejection of his claim for Andhra Pradesh cadre allocation was arbitrary, illegal, violating Articles 14, 16, and 309 of the Constitution.
The applicant argued that, as per the approved guidelines, an IAS officer’s domicile status is determined based on the information in the UPSC dossier or the training institute records. His dossier explicitly mentioned Andhra Pradesh as his domicile. However, the Committee erroneously relied on his permanent postal address, which falls in Rangareddy district, Telangana, to determine his domicile status, ignoring the prescribed guidelines.
The Union government, in its response, stated that the Khandekar Committee was constituted following a high court order dated January 3, 2024, to reconsider the final allocation of All India Services (AIS) officers between Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The committee, after reviewing representations from officers, provided an opportunity for Lotheti to present his case on May 20 and June 25, 2024.
The Committee noted that Lotheti had previously approached the Pratyush Sinha Committee with a similar request, which had been rejected under the approved guidelines.
His Detailed Application Form (DAF) listed Rangareddy district, Telangana, as his permanent address, which, as per the allocation criteria, holds higher priority over the place of birth. The committee, therefore, upheld the original allocation of Lotheti to Telangana.
After hearing extensive arguments from both sides, the CAT bench ruled in favour of the applicant. It held that the Khandekar Committee had failed to adhere to the approved guidelines by prioritising the permanent postal address over the information in the UPSC dossier and the training institute records.
The Bench therefore quashed the orders issued by the Union government and directed the reallocation of Lotheti to the Andhra Pradesh cadre.
The Union government was given four weeks to issue necessary orders, while the chief secretaries of both states were directed to implement the decision promptly upon receiving the official orders.