Govt clears promotion of 27 HCS officers to IAS after years of delay

In a major administrative development, 27 Haryana Civil Services (HCS) officers are set to be elevated to the prestigious Indian Administrative Service (IAS) after Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini reportedly approved their promotion process.

Will address shortage of IAS officers

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With the Chief Minister’s approval, the long-pending promotions of HCS officers have finally been resolved. This will help in addressing the shortage of senior IAS officers in Haryana.

Why was promotion delayed?

- Some 2002-batch HCS officers were booked by the ACB for alleged recruitment irregularities

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- As a result, the promotion of 2003 and 2004 batch officers was also stalled

- Legal advice suggested that pending cases alone could not be a reason for denial of promotion

The decision marks a crucial step in filling the shortage of senior officers in the state administration. Following the CM’s clearance, the state government will now forward their names to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), which will take the final decision.

Notably, the move also unlocks the path for the promotion of 2003 and 2004 batch HCS officers, whose elevation had been stalled for years. These officers will be adjusted into IAS batches of 2020 (3 officers), 2021 (4 officers), 2022 (8 officers), 2023 (10 officers), and 2024 (2 officers).

The promotion of the 2003 and 2004 HCS batches had been put on hold due to allegations of irregularities in the recruitment of certain 2002 batch officers by the Haryana Public Service Commission (HPSC). Some of these officers were even booked by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB), leading to a prolonged delay in promotions.

However, former Advocate General Baldev Raj Mahajan had reportedly advised the state government that mere registration of a case was not a valid ground for denying promotions. Acting on this legal advice, the Chief Minister has now given the green signal to elevate the 2002 batch officers, thereby clearing the way for the 2003 and 2004 batches as well.

The 27 HCS officers recommended for promotion include Veena Hooda, Jagdeep Dhanda, Sarita Malik, Samwartak Singh, Surinder Singh, Kamlesh Kumar, Munish Nagpal, Kuldhir Singh, Vatsal Vasisth, Jag Niwas, Mahabir Prasad, Mahender Singh, Satpal Sharma, Sushil Kumar, Varsha Khangwal, Varinder Sehrawat, Stinger Duhan, Manita Malik, Amrita Siwach, Yogesh Kumar, Vandana Disodia, Subhita Dhaka, Jaideep Kumar, Anurag Dhalia, Yogesh Kumar Mehta and Naveen Ahuja.

With these promotions, the Haryana administration is expected to strengthen its bureaucratic structure, ensuring smoother governance in the state.