Face2News/Chandigarh
Just days before the Haryana Civil Services (HCS) Preliminary Examination scheduled for April 26, serious questions have surfaced over the continued functioning of a retired IAS officer as Secretary of the Haryana Public Service Commission (H.P.S.C.), casting a shadow over administrative transparency.
The H.P.S.C. is set to conduct the H.C.S. (Executive Branch) and other Allied Services Preliminary Examination across 337 centres in eight districts of Haryana, with as many as 93,696 candidates registered for the ibid exam. However, the spotlight has now shifted from exam arrangements to the controversial re-employment of former IAS officer Mukesh Kumar Ahuja.
Ahuja, who retired from the Indian Administrative Service on March 31, 2026, upon attaining the age of 60, has reportedly been granted a three-month re-employment by the Haryana Government from April 1 2026 to June 30, 2026. During this period, he continues to hold dual responsibilities as Chief Administrator of the Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board (HSAMB) and Secretary, HPSC—positions he had occupied for the past three years prior to retirement.
Order Not Made Public
In a departure from established administrative practice, the official order granting Ahuja’s re-employment has not been made public even three weeks after its issuance. Typically, all orders related to IAS and HCS officers are uploaded on the Chief Secretary’s official website within a day or two. The absence of such disclosure has triggered concerns regarding transparency and procedural propriety.
RTI Filed, Legal Questions Raised
Advocate Hemant Kumar, an Advocate at Punjab and Haryana High Court, who is also a frequent commentator on administrative developments in Haryana Government, filed a Right to Information (RTI) application with the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India earlier this month on April 6, seeking complete details of Ahuja’s post-retirement re-employment. He cited Rule 9 of the IAS (Cadre) Rules, 1954, noting that similar provisions have been invoked in past cases for temporary arrangements.
However, the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India to which the RTI was transferred from Cabinet Secretariat, clarified in its April 7 response that Rule 9 pertains to the appointment of non-cadre officers to cadre posts and does not govern the re-employment of retired IAS officers. The department advised that such information must be obtained from the concerned state government. A first appeal against this response has since been filed and remains pending.
Demand for Proactive Disclosure
Hemant has now also written to the Governor, Chief Minister, Chief Secretary, and senior officials of the Haryana Government, urging immediate disclosure of the re-employment order by also citing Section 4(2) of the Right to Information Act, 2005, which mandates proactive dissemination of information by public authorities to minimize the need for RTI applications.
“The government must clarify under which legal provision the re-employment has been granted. Withholding such information only fuels suspicion,” the Advocate asserted.
Background and Precedents
Ahuja originally belonged to the 1997 batch of the Haryana Civil Service and was promoted to the IAS in May 2019, receiving the 2009 batch and seniority.
Observers point out that while extensions in service—such as the one granted to Haryana’s incumbent Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi until June 30, 2026 under relevant All India Services rules—are legally distinct from re-employment, both require clear statutory backing and transparency.
Concerns Amid Exam Process
With a major competitive examination imminent, the controversy assumes added significance. Questions are being raised about whether key constitutional bodies like the HPSC should be led by officials whose appointments lack public clarity, particularly during sensitive recruitment processes.
As the exam date approaches, the Haryana Government is yet to respond publicly, even as demands grow louder for full disclosure and accountability.
