Dilip Cherian | Delhi, Andamans officers must wait much longer for their IAS dreams

The last meeting of the departmental promotion committee for DANICS cadre officers by UPSC occurred in December 2019, resulting in 19 officers being promoted to IAS in January 2020. Since then, a four-year gap has hindered further promotions, leading to the accumulation of around 20 vacancies against sanctioned IAS posts for DANICS.

Sources report that over 30 officers now face career stagnation, with notable cases like T. Phillip retiring next month without receiving due promotions despite meeting all eligibility criteria. Issues such as deficient annual performance appraisal reports (APAR), vigilance concerns, and disciplinary matters have impeded progress.

Procedural delays involving officers like J.K. Jain, Raj Kumar and O.P. Mishra have adversely affected their batch (1995) and subsequent ones. Meanwhile, junior DANIPS cadre batches up to 2002–2003 have already been promoted to IPS. Contentious cases in the 1995 DANICS batch continue to affect successive batches negatively.

Sources have informed DKB that recent court cases have further complicated empanelment and promotions for various cadres, including IRS and CSS. Cadre-controlling authorities have advocated delaying contentious cases until their final resolution.

Despite DANICS officers being eligible for promotion to IAS, the average time for promotion has extended to 27-28 years. This contrasts sharply with states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, and Punjab, where state civil service cadres achieve IAS promotions within eight to 10 years.

Roopa, Sindhuri asked to give peace a chance

The Supreme Court has intervened in the ongoing feud between Karnataka’s IAS officer Rohini Sindhuri and IPS officer D. Roopa, offering them a renewed chance at reconciliation. The court’s decision prohibits both officers from making public statements on the case, maintaining an interim stay on criminal defamation proceedings initiated by Ms Sindhuri against Ms Roopa last month.

The legal saga originated from Ms Roopa’s special leave petition against a criminal defamation suit filed by Ms Sindhuri in Bengaluru. The Supreme Court had earlier directed Ms Roopa to either delete contentious posts or express regret for a potential resolution.

In response to the court’s directive, Ms Roopa confirmed the removal of all posts related to Ms Sindhuri from her social media accounts. The Karnataka high court had ruled in August last year that Ms Roopa must face a criminal trial based on Ms Sindhuri’s allegations of defamation.

The Supreme Court’s intervention comes after a public spat in early 2023 left both officers without postings. In a positive turn, the officers were assigned new roles in September 2023. Ms Sindhuri was named chief editor at the Karnataka gazetteer department, while Ms Roopa became inspector general of police in the internal security department. As legal proceedings continue, the court’s intervention offers hope for a reconciliation in this high-profile squabble.

ED’s leadership puzzle

As the Lok Sabha elections approach, speculation is rife about the Enforcement Directorate (ED) appointing a regular director. The interim chief, Rahul Navin, may be regularised, or a new incumbent might be brought in. Recent weeks have seen Rahul Navin’s name circulating as the potential regular director for the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), another key investigating agency operating under an ad hoc arrangement since July 2022.

Some babu watchers believe that the Modi Sarkar may strategically fill vacant yet key positions with regular appointees in the run-up to the elections. Notably, before S.K. Mishra’s term concluded in September last year, names such as Nitin Gupta and Pravin Kumar, currently serving as chairman and member of CBDT, respectively, were prominently mentioned as possible successors. Interestingly, the buzz began when Nitin Gupta was re-engaged as CBDT chairman on a contract for a brief nine-month tenure ending in June 2024, aligning with the 2024 LS polls.

With sources indicating that the ED will have a regular chief before the election announcement, Mr Narendra Modi’s decision on whether to go for an interim arrangement or select a regular officer remains a focus for him as he seeks a third consecutive term at the Centre.