Chandigarh, June 20 (IANS) The Centre has given Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi an extension of a year. The 1990-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, who was retiring on June 30, was elevated to the post of the Chief Secretary by not following the seniority principle.

Official sources said the state government had written to the Central government for an extension, which has been approved by it.

Rastogi’s contemporaries — Sudhir Rajpal, Sumita Misra, Anand Mohan Sharan and Raja Shekhar Vundru — and the 1991 batch officers — Vineet Garg, Anil Malik, G. Anupama, A.K. Singh and Abhilaksh Likhi — were the probable candidates for the post.

According to the gradation list of state IAS officers, Sudhir Rajpal of the 1990 batch is the senior-most as per the inter-se seniority, followed by Sumita Misra, Anurag Rastogi, Anand Mohan Sharan and Raja Sekhar Vundru.

Rastogi was elevated to the top post in February after 1989-batch IAS officer Vivek Joshi was selected as Election Commissioner by the Central government.

A June 19 communication from the Union Ministry of Personnel reads that the Central government, on a proposal of the Haryana government, has approved the extension of service for Rastogi from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026. As per Rule 16 of the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefit) Rules 1958, the service of the chief secretary may be given an extension of service “for a period not exceeding six months on the recommendations made by the state government concerned with full justification and in the public interest, with the prior approval of the Central government”. The Centre, however, relaxed this rule by invoking Rule 3 of All India Service (Conditions of Service- Residuary Matters) Rules, 1960, to grant Rastogi 12 months of extension in service.

Before being elevated, Rastogi was given the interim charge of Chief Secretary for a few days after the retirement of T.V.S.N. Prasad and before Joshi joined the post in November 2024. Later, Rastogi was posted as Financial Commissioner (Revenue) and also held the charge of Additional Chief Secretary (Finance and Planning). He still holds both the charges — the Finance and Planning Departments.

–IANS

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