New Delhi: The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) and the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) have issued a series of key orders involving senior civil servants and a scientific institution.
The decisions include an extension of central deputation for senior IAS officer Vishal Chauhan, premature repatriation of IAS officer Jafar Malik and Indian Information Service officer Santosh Gopal Ajmera, and the appointment of Prof. Kiran Kondabagil as Director of the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune.
Vishal Chauhan Gets One-Year Extension at NHAI
The ACC has approved the extension of the central deputation tenure of Vishal Chauhan, a 1998-batch IAS officer of the Sikkim cadre, who is serving as Member (Administration) at the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
His tenure has been extended for one year beyond November 5, 2026, up to November 5, 2027, or until further orders, whichever is earlier. The extension has been approved with the continued temporary upgradation of the post.
Chauhan is also serving as Chairperson of the Indian Highways Management Company Ltd. (IHMCL).
Born on December 1, 1974, Mr Chauhan is a 1998-batch IAS officer with a career spanning more than 28 years. He hails from Uttar Pradesh and has an academic background in engineering, industrial engineering and public policy.
He holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electrical Engineering, followed by a Post Graduate Diploma/M.Tech in Industrial Engineering from NITIE Mumbai, now IIM Mumbai. He also holds a Master of Science in Public Policy and Management from King’s College London.
Extensive Experience in Sikkim and Uttar Pradesh
During his career, IAS Chauhan has held several senior administrative assignments in the Sikkim cadre. Among his significant positions were Principal Secretary and Commissioner-cum-Secretary in the Health and Family Welfare Department, Secretary of Agriculture and Horticulture, and Managing Director of the State Bank of Sikkim.
He also served on inter-cadre deputation in Uttar Pradesh, where he held important administrative responsibilities, including District Magistrate of Mathura, Divisional Commissioner of Faizabad, now Ayodhya, and Managing Director of the Uttar Pradesh Power Transmission Corporation Limited.
Before moving to the NHAI at the upgraded Additional Secretary level, Chauhan served at the Centre as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
In that role, his responsibilities included areas relating to mental health programmes, non-communicable diseases and public health policy and infrastructure.
His continuation at NHAI for another year will therefore retain an experienced senior administrator in a key organisation responsible for the development and management of India’s National Highway network.
IAS Jafar Malik Prematurely Repatriated to Kerala
In another order, IAS officer Jafar Malik (IAS:2013:KL), who was serving as Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, has been prematurely repatriated to his parent Kerala cadre.
The DoPT order issued on September 23, 2026, states that the competent authority approved his premature repatriation on personal grounds, with the provision of extended cooling off.
Malik was initially appointed as Deputy Secretary in the Department of Commerce under the Central Staffing Scheme in August 2024 for a four-year tenure. The Government of Kerala relieved him from the state cadre on August 27, 2024, and he assumed charge of the central post on September 2, 2024.
He was subsequently shifted laterally from the Department of Commerce to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs in February 2025, where he was appointed Deputy Secretary for the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA).
His tenure in the assignment had been approved up to September 2, 2028, covering the remaining period of his original four-year central deputation.
Jafar Malik’s Administrative Career
Born on October 2, 1989, Mr Malik is a 2013-batch IAS officer of the Kerala cadre and a direct recruit through the UPSC Civil Services Examination. He hails from Rajasthan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and a Master of Arts in History from Kota University.
During his service in Kerala, Malik held several important administrative positions, including District Collector of Ernakulam and District Collector of Malappuram.
He also served as Chief Executive Officer of Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML), Managing Director of the Roads and Bridges Development Corporation Kerala Limited (RBDCK), Director of the Social Justice Department and Executive Director of Kudumbashree.
His premature return to Kerala comes with an extended cooling-off provision as specified in the DoPT order.
IInfoS Officer Santosh Gopal Ajmera Repatriated for Promotion
Indian Information Service officer Santosh Gopal Ajmera (IInfoS:2008), who was serving as Joint Secretary at the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), has also been prematurely repatriated to his parent cadre.
According to the DoPT order issued on September 24, 2026, the competent authority approved his premature repatriation to enable him to avail the benefit of promotion.
Ajmera had begun his central deputation as Director in the Election Commission of India, with effect from February 26, 2021. His initial central deputation was approved for five years.
He was subsequently appointed Director in the UPSC in August 2024 for the balance period of his central deputation.
His tenure at the UPSC was later extended by two years, up to February 25, 2028. The latest decision brings his central deputation to an early close for the stated purpose of promotion.
Prof. Kiran Kondabagil Appointed ARI Director
The Centre has also approved the appointment of Prof. Kiran Kondabagil as Director of the Agharkar Research Institute (ARI), Pune.
According to a DoPT order issued on September 23, 2026, the ACC approved his appointment to the post.
Kondabagil is currently a Professor in the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay. He joined IIT Bombay in 2011.
He holds an M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Mysore.
His research work spans areas including virus evolution, DNA replication, DNA repair and packaging, and environmental virology.
Agharkar Research Institute
The Agharkar Research Institute is an autonomous institute under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The institute undertakes research in areas of biological sciences and related fields.
With Kondabagil’s appointment, the institute will be headed by an academician with research experience in virology, molecular biology and related areas of biosciences.
Key Orders at a Glance
The latest decisions cover different aspects of government administration and scientific research. Vishal Chauhan will continue at NHAI for another year, while Jafar Malik is returning prematurely to the Kerala cadre on personal grounds with extended cooling off. Santosh Gopal Ajmera has been repatriated to his parent cadre to avail promotion, and Prof. Kiran Kondabagil has been appointed to head the Agharkar Research Institute in Pune.
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