New DGP in place, race for Chief Secretary to follow
With a wave of senior-level retirements lined up, the state is set for a significant reshuffle at the top of its police and administrative leadership in 2026. While the appointment of a new DGP has already been finalised, the latter half of the year is expected to witness an intense contest for the post of Chief Secretary.
The incumbent DGP, OP Singh, and the Commandant General, Home Guards and Civil Defence, Muhammad Akil, retired on Wednesday. Later the same day, the state government appointed Ajay Singhal as the new DGP. He is likely to assume charge tomorrow.
Earlier, Shatrujeet Kapur had completed his two-year tenure as DGP, but was sent on leave after his name figured as an accused in a case relating to the alleged abetment to suicide of IPS officer Y Puran Kumar, who died by suicide on October 7, 2025.
Currently serving as chairman of the Haryana Police Housing Corporation, Kapur is due to retire on October 31, 2026. Director General of the Haryana Human Rights Commission Sanjeev Jain will retire on September 30, 2026.
Among other senior IPS officers, Hardeep Singh Doon and Rajesh Duggal are scheduled to retire on May 31, 2026, while Dr Rajshree Singh will retire on July 31, 2026.
On the administrative side, incumbent Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, who is serving on a one-year extension, is set to retire on June 30, 2026. Several senior officers are already in contention to succeed him.
Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Health and Family Welfare Department, Sudhir Rajpal, who retires on November 30, 2026; ACS, Home Department, Dr Sumita Misra, who has service till January 31, 2027; and ACS, Transport and Fisheries, Raja Sekhar Vundru, retiring on July 31, 2026, are among the frontrunners. All three officers belong to the 1990 IAS batch.
A seniority dispute among these officers remains unresolved. Apart from them, IAS officers from the 1991 batch could also emerge as dark horses in the race for the top bureaucratic post.
In addition, as many as 11 more IAS officers are slated to retire in 2026. They include Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Arun Kumar Gupta; Principal Secretary, Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs, D Suresh; Director General, Sainik and Ardh Sainik Welfare and Commissioner, Faridabad, Sanjay Joon; Managing Director, Haryana Backward Classes and Economically Weaker Sections Kalyan Nigam, Anita Yadav; Secretary, Home-I and Home-II, Geeta Bharti; and Secretary, Haryana Human Rights Commission, Jaibir Singh Arya.
