Inside Raisina Hill: Ex-CDS General Anil Chauhan To Head VIF, NIA Gets Two IRS Officers As SP

As one walks down the Hill along the Rajpath, now renamed Kartavya Path, come other edifices — Rail Bhavan, Krishi Bhavan, Shashtri Bhavan, and Kartavya Bhavan on one side and Sena Bhavan, Udyog Bhavan, and Vanijya Bhavan on the other. The bureaucrats who adorn the offices in these buildings decide on India's economic, social, and industrial policies. There are many tales to be told from the corridors of these grandiose buildings. We let you in on some of them here in this week's edition of "Inside Raisina Hill".

Ex-CDS Gen Anil Chauhan To Head VIF

The appointment of former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Anil Chauhan as Director of the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), a New Delhi-based public policy think tank, has given rise to speculations in strategic and administrative circles about his next role and possible wider implications.

Gen Chauhan, who retired on May 30 after more than three years as CDS, will take charge of the VIF on October 5, succeeding former Deputy National Security Adviser Arvind Gupta.

The VIF has a notable link with National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who founded the think tank in 2009 and served as its Founding Director before being appointed NSA by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Born in 1961, Gen Chauhan was commissioned into the 11 Gorkha Rifles in 1981. An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun, he held several key operational and command assignments during his military career.

As a Major General, he commanded an Infantry Division in the strategically sensitive Baramula sector of the Northern Command. As a Lieutenant General, he commanded a corps in the Northeast and later served as General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Command from September 2019 until his retirement from the Army in May 2021.

The VIF engages policymakers and the diplomatic community on strategic, political, economic and civilisational issues concerning India. It also prepares policy briefs for senior government officials, parliamentarians, members of the judiciary and other stakeholders.

Gen Chauhan’s appointment brings a senior military perspective to an institution closely associated with debates on national security and public policy.

Who Is ECI’s Naraz Phufa?

The latest controversy surrounding the Election Commission of India (ECI) has set off a guessing game in bureaucratic circles over the identity of the so-called “Naraz Phufa” – an informal phrase being used amid speculation about differences within the poll panel.

Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and Election Commissioner S.S. Sandhu are batchmates, while Election Commissioner Vivek Joshi is their junior by a batch. The three-member Commission has consequently become the focus of intense chatter among officials trying to read the signals behind the recent developments.

The speculation has centred on whether the “Naraz Phufa” is a reference to one of the three commissioners, with officers quietly exchanging theories without any confirmation from the Commission or the government.

The intrigue has also spawned another question: could the alleged discontent eventually lead to a commissioner stepping down, or even being asked to leave?

There is, however, no official indication so far of any such move, and the identity behind the bureaucratic shorthand remains unconfirmed.

For now, the “Naraz Phufa” remains a subject of corridor talks rather than an established fact, underscoring the unusual level of speculation surrounding the functioning of the poll panel.

UPSC Appoints SC Advocate Anurag Kumar As Panel Counsel

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has appointed Supreme Court advocate Anurag Kumar as its panel counsel for a year, with the assignment effective until September 30, 2027, or until further orders.

An order issued by the Commission on September 28 said Kumar will represent the UPSC in legal matters before the Supreme Court, Jharkhand High Court and the Ranchi Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).

The appointment follows the terms and conditions communicated by the UPSC in its June 17, 2026 letter, which were accepted by Kumar. He will handle judicial proceedings involving the Commission before the courts and tribunals covered under the order.

Kumar joined the Bar in 1999 and has practised before the Supreme Court and several High Courts. His areas of practice include constitutional, corporate, criminal, civil, family and labour law. He served as Assistant Solicitor General of India for the Jharkhand High Court in 2014 and has been Central Government Counsel since January 2010. He has also served as Special Counsel for Indian Railways since May 2009.

Earlier, Kumar worked with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) as Advocate Counsel and Consultant from 1999 to 2003. During that period, his professional profile states that he handled more than 7,000 NHRC cases. He has also worked with two former Chief Justices of India who later headed the NHRC.

NIA Gets Two IRS Officers As SP

Two 2016-batch Indian Revenue Service (Customs & Indirect Taxes) officers, Radhe Krishna and Mayank Sharma, have been posted as Superintendents of Police (SP) in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on a four-year deputation.

The appointments bring two officers from the Department of Revenue under the Ministry of Finance into the country’s premier federal anti-terror probe agency under the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The move marks a shift from their regular assignments with the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) to specialised investigative and enforcement work at the national level.

Krishna, a 2016-batch IRS officer, has held several positions in the CBIC. He served as Deputy Commissioner before being promoted to Joint Commissioner and was posted at Haldia under the Kolkata GST and Central Excise zone. His experience in indirect taxation, revenue administration and enforcement will now form part of his new role in the NIA.

Sharma, also a 2016-batch IRS officer of the Customs and Indirect Taxes cadre, has served in various CBIC positions. His previous assignments included Deputy Commissioner at Palasamudram under the NACIN zone.

The NIA postings bring their enforcement experience into a specialised federal investigative set-up dealing with scheduled offences, including terrorism-related cases.

Centre Extends Principal DG Dhirendra Ojha’s PIB Tenure

Indian Information Service (IIS) officer of the 1990 batch, Dhirendra Ojha, has been re-appointed as Principal Director General (PDG), Press Information Bureau (PIB), for another year, extending his tenure from October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027.

According to the order, Ojha’s re-employment has been approved on a contractual basis.

Ojha was appointed Director General (Media & Communication) in the PIB on July 4, 2024, and subsequently served as Principal DG (M&C). He was elevated to the post of Principal Director General in the Apex Scale on September 13, 2026.

Separately, the post of Director General held by Pragya Paliwal Gaur has been temporarily upgraded to the rank of Principal Director General, carrying the Apex Scale of Level 17 in the Pay Matrix. The upgradation will remain in force until July 31, 2027, the date of Gaur’s superannuation.

The latest orders effectively provide for the continuation of Ojha as the senior-most official overseeing the PIB’s media and communication apparatus, while temporarily upgrading Gaur’s post until her retirement.