New Delhi: In a significant move to strengthen top-tier leadership within the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), the government has cleared the empanelment of six Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Indirect Taxes) officers for holding posts at the Chief Commissioner and Director General levels.
Officers Cleared for Level 16 Pay Matrix
The six officers, all from the 1993 batch of IRS (C&IT), have been empanelled for Level 16 of the Pay Matrix, reflecting the highest echelons of administrative responsibility in CBIC. The officers are:
- Akhil Kumar Khatri (IRS CIT: 1993)
- Brij Bhushan Gupta (IRS CIT: 1993)
- Atul Kumar Rastogi (IRS CIT: 1993)
- Shubh Chintan (IRS CIT: 1993)
- Manish Kumar Sinha (IRS CIT: 1993)
- Ganesh Dutt Lohani (IRS CIT: 1993)
Seniority and Tenure Outlook
The seniority profile of the newly empanelled officers presents a varied timeline for CBIC leadership planning:
- One officer is expected to superannuate in April 2026.
- Four officers are set to serve through 2028.
Manish Kumar Sinha offers the longest administrative runway, with his tenure extending until August 2029, ensuring continuity in CBIC leadership over the next few years.
Pending Chief Commissioner Rank Officers
The empanelment comes amid a backlog of over nine officers awaiting postings at the Chief Commissioner rank since October and November 2025. These officers include:
- Diptasri Barma Arora (IRS C&IT: 1991)
- Arun Kumar (IRS CIT: 1993)
- Neeraj Kansal (IRS CIT: 1993)
- Harmeet Singh Narang (IRS CIT: 1993)
- MRR Reddy (IRS CIT: 1993)
- Sandeep MS Puri (IRS CIT: 1993)
- Vinayak Chandra Gupta (IRS CIT: 1993)
- Suresh Kumar (IRS CIT: 1993)
- Subhash Agrawal (IRS CIT: 1993)
These pending postings highlight ongoing challenges in CBIC’s administrative placement process, as officials await deployment to field and headquarters positions despite empanelment.
Significance for CBIC Operations
The empanelment of these six officers is expected to:
- Strengthen top-level decision-making across CBIC field formations and headquarters.
- Ensure administrative continuity during the fiscal year-end and Union Budget 2026 operations.
Address gaps in senior leadership, which have been exacerbated by previous delays in postings and promotions.
Read also: CBIC Promotes 55 IRS Officers of 2008 Batch to Commissioner C&IT for 2026 Panel Year
