ASSERTS THAT RECENT 6-MONTHS EXTENSION TO CHIEF SECRETARY ANURAG RASTOGI WARRANTS CORRESPONDING ADMINISTRATIVE RECOGNITION FOR BATCHMATES; CITES PUNJAB PRECEDENT AND ‘NO ADDITIONAL FINANCIAL BURDEN
Face2News/Chandigarh
A public appeal cum representation has been submitted to the Haryana Government seeking the designation of the three remaining Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers of the 1990 Haryana cadre as Special Chief Secretaries, following the six-month extension in service granted to Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi.
The representation, addressed to the Governor, the Chief Minister and the Chief Secretary, has been submitted by Hemant Kumar, an Advocate practising before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Hemant has urged the State Government to designate Sudhir Rajpal, Dr. Sumita Misra and Raja Shekhar Vundru, all Additional Chief Secretaries belonging to the 1990 IAS batch, as Special Chief Secretaries during the extended tenure of Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi up to December 31, 2026.
The appeal follows the Union Government’s decision to grant a six-month extension in service to Anurag Rastogi by relaxing the applicable retirement rules, enabling him to continue as Haryana’s Chief Secretary till the end of the year i.e till 31 Dec 2026.
According to the representation, once an officer of a particular IAS batch assumes the office of Chief Secretary, it is administratively appropriate and consistent with established governmental convention that the remaining officers of the same batch are accorded the designation of Special Chief Secretary instead of continuing as Additional Chief Secretaries.
The representation contends that the proposal carries no additional financial implication for the State Government, pointing out that the pay of the Chief Secretary, Special Chief Secretary and Additional Chief Secretary is identical under Level-17 of the Pay Matrix, with a monthly salary of ₹2.25 lakh. It argues that the issue concerns only administrative hierarchy, institutional recognition and official designation rather than any enhancement in emoluments.
Hemant has further pointed out that several officers belonging to the 1991 to 1996 IAS batches are presently serving as Additional Chief Secretaries in Haryana. Continuing the remaining senior-most officers of the 1990 batch in the same designation alongside substantially junior officers, the representation states, does not adequately reflect the accepted principles of administrative seniority after one of their batchmates has become Chief Secretary.
Emphasising service conventions, the representation says that wherever feasible, officers belonging to the same IAS batch are generally not placed in a formal reporting hierarchy under one another after one among them assumes the State’s top bureaucratic office. Granting the designation of Special Chief Secretary, it says, preserves institutional dignity, acknowledges seniority and promotes administrative harmony without disturbing the existing chain of command.
To reinforce its case, Hemant cites the example of neighbouring Punjab, where Chief Secretary K.A.P. Sinha of the 1992 IAS batch is serving alongside Sarvjit Singh and Rajee P. Srivastava, both of the same batch, as Special Chief Secretaries, while Anirudh Tewari of the 1990 batch also holds the designation of Special Chief Secretary.
Describing the Punjab model as an established administrative precedent, Hemant has publicly urged Haryana Government to adopt a similar arrangement to maintain parity with accepted conventions, uphold the dignity of the senior-most officers and ensure a coherent administrative structure at the apex level of the State bureaucracy.
The representation concludes by expressing confidence that the State Government will sympathetically consider the proposal in the interest of administrative propriety, institutional hierarchy, service conventions and good governance.
