Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Secretary and 1992 batch IAS officer KAP Sinha, who recently sparked controversy by putting on hold the promotions of eight senior IPS officers to the rank of DGP, has now approved the promotion of two 1995-batch IAS officers, Jaspreet Talwar and Dilip Kumar, to the position of Additional Chief Secretaries. Both officers have completed 30 years of service, making them eligible for the promotion.
The decision has reignited tensions between the IAS and IPS officers in the state. IPS officers are now accusing the Chief Secretary of showing partiality, alleging that the move highlights “the double standards” of the IAS lobby. This comes in the wake of the ongoing delay in the promotion of IPS officers, which Sinha had previously attributed to contradictions in the existing rules.
In response to the allegations, Sinha clarified that the promotions of IAS officers were made against existing vacancies in the Punjab cadre, and the delay in IPS promotions was due to regulatory issues. “Once I get replies, I will certainly promote them (IPS officers),” Sinha assured, emphasizing that the promotions of IAS and IPS officers were separate matters.
The recent promotion of Talwar and Kumar brings the total number of officers at the rank of Chief Secretary and Additional Chief Secretary in Punjab to 11. Apart from Sinha, the list includes Anirudh Tiwari (1990 batch), Sarvjit Singh, and Raji P Srivastava (1992 batch) as Special Chief Secretaries. In addition, several officers from the 1993 and 1994 batches, including Anurag Verma, K Siva Prasad, and Vikas Pratap, serve as Additional Chief Secretaries.
Meanwhile, three officers—Anurag Aggarwal, Seema Jain, and Rakesh Kumar—are currently on central deputation.
