The Finance Department in the government of Haryana recently enquired to clarify how IPS officers of the 1997 batch were promoted when the promotion of the 1996 batch was still under consideration due to a review of cadre strength and deliberations on the creation of cadre and ex-cadre posts.
The Finance Department observed, “It seemed contradictory that at the time of promotion of 1997 batch, the matter related to the promotion of 1996 batch was under consideration due to the creation of cadre/ex-cadre posts/review of cadre strength. It is not a case of step-up but a case of pay fixation. Strangely, the pay of 1997-batch officers has been fixed the pay of 1996-batch officers who have already been promoted in the year 2022 has not been fixed till now.”
The debacle unfurled after two 1997-batch IPS officers, Mr. Sanjay Kumar and Mr. Amitabh Dhillon were promoted to the rank of additional director general of police (ADGP) and got refixation in their pay, superseding four 1996-batch officers — Ms. Mamta Singh, Mr. M Ravi Kiran, Mr. KK Rao and Mr. Hanif Qureshi (on central deputation). The four senior IPS officers are still to get a higher pay grade as their pay had not been refixed in level 15 in the pay matrix while their junior counterparts of the 1997 batch were granted a higher pay grade!
Officer M Ravi Kiran wrote to the DGP stating that as the pay of 1996-batch officers had not been yet fixed, despite their promotion in May 2022, the fixation of pay of 1997-batch IPS officers who were promoted recently was contrary to directions issued by the Finance Department. As per the pay refixation orders of the two 1997-batch IPS officers issued by the home department, the officers were drawing a pay of about Rs. 1.99 lakh in level 14 in the pay matrix with effect from July 2023. Their pay was, however, fixed at about Rs. 2.17 lakh in level 15 in the pay matrix with effect from July 2024 under Rule 5(9) of IPS Pay Rules, 2016. The Rule says that on promotion from one grade to another in service, an IPS officer shall have the option to get his pay fixed at the level of the higher post either from the date of his promotion or from the date on which he subsequently earns an increment in the lower scale.
