The Telangana High Court on Friday raised questions over the maintainability of a petition filed against the state government’s decision to appoint IPS officers to senior administrative posts that are traditionally held by IAS officers.
Court Questions Petitioner’s Locus Standi
Justice EV Venugopal sought to know how the petitioner, advocate Vadla Srikanth, was directly affected by the appointments. The judge observed that unless the petitioner could demonstrate personal grievance, the plea may not be maintainable. The court asked him to implead any individuals who were allegedly impacted by the appointments and posted the matter for further hearing on April 15.
Challenge to IPS Officers’ Appointments
The petition contests a September 2025 government order that assigned senior IPS officers to key administrative roles. The officers named in the plea include Stephen Ravindra, appointed as Commissioner of Civil Supplies and ex-officio Principal Secretary; Shikha Goel, designated as Director General, Vigilance and Enforcement, and ex-officio Principal Secretary; and CV Anand, appointed as Special Chief Secretary in the Home Department.
The petitioner argued that these appointments contravene provisions of the IAS (Cadre) Rules and the IAS (Fixation of Cadre Strength) Amendment Regulations, 2016. He sought directions from the court to set aside the appointments and to instruct the state government to fill the posts with officers from the IAS cadre.
Earlier Notices Issued
At a previous hearing, Justice Surepally Nanda had issued notices to the Chief Secretary and the Principal Secretary of the General Administration Department, asking them to submit their response to the allegations raised in the petition.
The case will now come up for further consideration in mid-April, with the court expected to examine both the issue of maintainability and the merits of the challenge.
