Hyderabad: In a major setback for 14 senior IAS and IPS officers, including GHMC Commissioner Amrapali Kata, the Centre on Thursday dismissed their pleas to reconsider their allocation to the Andhra Pradesh cadre and permit them to continue serving in Telangana. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) instructed the 11 IAS and 3 IPS officers to report to the Andhra Pradesh cadre by October 16. These officers were originally assigned to the AP cadre after the 2014 bifurcation, but some have been working in Telangana since then.
The DoPT issued separate communications to the Chief Secretaries of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, notifying them of its decision and relieving the officers with immediate effect. The Telangana government has been directed to ensure the officers’ prompt release and submit a compliance report. Previously, the DoPT had given similar orders to then Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar, compelling him to join the Andhra Pradesh cadre, after which he opted for voluntary retirement.
Somesh Kumar had remained in Telangana due to an order from the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). Although the DoPT challenged the CAT order in the Telangana High Court in February 2017, it did not actively pursue the case. Deccan Chronicle highlighted this in a report titled “Centre’s plea on Chief Secretary stuck in Telangana High Court” on March 23, 2021. Following the report, the DoPT renewed its efforts to bring the case to a conclusion.
The IAS officers working in Telangana who have now been repatriated to Andhra Pradesh include GHMC Commissioner Amrapali Kata, Energy Secretary D. Ronald Rose, Tourism Secretary A. Vani Prasad, Women & Child Development Secretary Vakati Karuna, and Forests & Environment Secretary M. Prashanti. Similarly, NTR District Collector Gummella Srijana, Kadapa Collector Siva Sankar Lotheti, G. Hari Kiran, and Special Chief Secretary Anantha Ramu, who had been allotted to AP and were serving there, challenged their allocation. After the CAT ruled in their favor, they remained in Andhra Pradesh as the BRS government at the time did not permit them to work in Telangana.
The current DoPT order has also allocated these officers to Andhra Pradesh, meaning they will continue their service in the neighboring state. IPS officers Anjani Kumar, Abhilasha Bisht, and Abhishek Mohanty, who were previously allocated to AP but continued working in Telangana, are also affected. Another IPS officer, Santosh Mehra, has already retired.
It is worth noting that several IAS and IPS officers had challenged their cadre allocation and received favorable orders from the CAT. However, the DoPT contested these orders in the Telangana High Court. After prolonged litigation, the High Court set aside the CAT orders, advising the Centre to allow the officers to submit fresh representations to stay in Telangana. Due to objections raised by the officers against the DoPT, which had already taken a stance against them, the High Court directed the DoPT to form a committee to handle the matter. In response, the DoPT appointed a single-member committee, chaired by retired IAS officer Deepak Khandekar, who ultimately upheld the DoPT’s original orders.
