The Uttarakhand government has appointed IAS officer Dilip Jawalkar as its new Home Secretary, following the approval of the Election Commission. The Election Commission had directed the removal of Shailesh Bagauli (IAS:2002:UK), who served as the Home Secretary of Uttarakhand, along with the home secretaries of five other states.

Dilip Jawalkar, currently posted as Secretary of Finance, has been chosen to take over as the Home Secretary of Uttarakhand. Shailesh Bagauli, who also served as Secretary to the Chief Minister, was given the additional charge of Secretary, Home and Prisons on February 10.

However, following the Election Commission’s directive on Monday, six states, including Uttarakhand, were instructed to remove home secretaries who also held positions in the respective chief minister’s offices to avoid conflicts of interest during the Lok Sabha elections.