Several IAS officers have secured cadre transfers to Haryana through matrimonial alliances, as revealed by Ambala-based RTI activist Hemant Kumar. Haryana is considered a desirable posting due to its proximity to Delhi and professional opportunities. At least ten IAS officers have moved to the state in recent years following their marriages.
The latest case involves Utsav Anand, a 2022-batch IAS officer initially allotted the Uttar Pradesh cadre, who was transferred to Haryana after marrying his batchmate, Anjali Shrotriya. Utsav hails from Jharkhand, while Anjali, originally from Madhya Pradesh, was already in the Haryana cadre. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) approved their cadre change on January 15, 2025.
A similar transfer took place in September 2023, when Rahul Modi, an IAS officer from the Tripura cadre, moved to Haryana after his marriage to IPS officer Deepti Garg, who was already serving in the state. Rahul is from Rajasthan, while Deepti is a Haryana native. In April 2023, Andhra Pradesh cadre officer Anupama Anjali (2018 batch) also shifted to Haryana after marrying Harshit Kumar, a 2020-batch IAS officer from Haryana. Likewise, in November 2022, West Bengal cadre officer Renu Sogan (2019 batch) was transferred to Haryana following her marriage to Hitesh Meena, a fellow 2019-batch IAS officer from Haryana. Both Renu and Hitesh are originally from Rajasthan.
Other officers who have made similar moves include Dr. Balpreet Singh, who transferred from Kerala to Haryana in February 2022 after marrying IPS officer Upasana, and Shantanu Sharma, who moved from the Assam-Meghalaya cadre to Haryana in October 2021 after his marriage to Haryana-cadre IAS officer C. Jayashradha.
DoPT rules permit officers from the IAS, IPS, and IFS to seek cadre transfers based on spousal postings, with the condition that they cannot be posted to their home state. If both partners agree, they can be assigned to a third state. The case of Neha Singh highlights the complexities of such transfers. Originally from the Gujarat cadre, she moved to Haryana in July 2021 after marrying Haryana cadre IAS officer Rahul Hooda. However, Rahul had previously switched to Haryana in 2015 after marrying an IPS officer from the same cadre. Following his divorce, his second marriage facilitated Neha’s transfer.
Many young IAS officers form relationships during their training at the academy, where they spend considerable time together and share common aspirations. Additionally, family-arranged marriages within bureaucratic circles contribute to this pattern. While deputation offers an alternative for officers seeking temporary postings in a preferred location, these assignments typically last only three to four years.
