Inside Raisina Hill: Former CJI DY Chandrachud Is Russia's Arbitrator In Ukraine Bank Case

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".

Russia Picks ex-CJI DY Chandrachud For Oschadbank Arbitration

Russia has appointed former Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud as its arbitrator in an investment dispute with Ukraine’s state-owned Oschadbank. Costa Rican arbitrator Dyalá Jiménez will serve as president of the three-member tribunal, while Stavros Brekoulakis, a professor at the National University of Singapore, has been appointed as the third arbitrator.

The arbitration was initiated under the 1998 bilateral investment treaty between Ukraine and Russia. Jiménez was jointly selected by the two parties to preside over the tribunal.

The proceedings stem from a dispute between Russia and Oschadbank, one of Ukraine’s largest state-owned financial institutions.

Russia’s legal team includes Andrea Pinna, a partner at Pinna Goldberg; counsel Pratyush Panjwani; and senior associate Dimitrios Papageorgiou.

Chandrachud has increasingly taken on international arbitration and legal advisory roles since demitting the office of the CJI. His appointment adds an Indian jurist to a high-profile investment arbitration involving two countries whose bilateral relations have been deeply strained.

FinMin Removes Entire Top Brass Of Chennai GST Zone

In a rare administrative shake-up, the Ministry of Finance has removed the top management of the Chennai GST Zone and attached the officers to the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) headquarters in New Delhi as Officers on Special Duty (OSD), pending further orders.

The move affects senior officers across the Chennai GST administration, including Principal Chief Commissioner Madan Mohan Singh; Principal Commissioner Pradip Kumar Suman; Additional Commissioner Shivaprakash Veeresh Baddi; and Deputy Commissioners M. Pandaram and N. Sudhakar.

The sweeping action has drawn attention within the indirect tax administration, with senior IRS (C&IT) officers describing the simultaneous removal of an entire layer of senior management from a major GST zone as highly unusual and potentially unprecedented in recent decades.

Singh, who heads the Chennai GST Region, is also due to retire next month.

The officers have been attached to the CBIC headquarters as OSDs, and this arrangement has further raised questions within the department. Officials familiar with cadre practices noted that the standard rules do not expressly provide for such a collective placement of senior officers at the Board while awaiting fresh postings.

The unusual development has triggered speculation within bureaucratic circles about whether further administrative or disciplinary action could follow.

When Bureaucrats Turn To Fiction

Follow your passion: the three words are not uncommon. But how many actually follow this mantra? While many bureaucrats and government officials have turned authors, they have typically restricted their writing to their domain or policymaking.

But Pankaj, Additional Central Provident Fund Commissioner (HQ), has decided to tread a slightly different path: the EPFI official, who has spent over three decades in government service, has turned author with My Lady In Black, a fictional story on institutional power, vendetta, incarceration, resilience, and, ultimately, vindication.

The book is set for launch on August 30 (Sunday), at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.

Centre Approves Transfer Of IPS Officer Harish Jain To Haryana

The Central government has approved the inter-cadre transfer of 2021-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer Harish Jain from Kerala cadre to Haryana, following his marriage to Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Kanika Goyal of 2023 batch, who has been allotted the Haryana cadre.

The transfer has been cleared by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs under Rule 5(2) of the Indian Police Service (Cadre) Rules, 1954, which allows inter-cadre movement of All India Service (AIS) officers on marriage grounds, subject to the consent of the respective state governments.

The transfer is part of the Centre’s established framework for facilitating cadre change for AIS officers on marriage grounds, while balancing the administrative requirements of the respective states.

Still No Consensus On Vacant CBIC Member Post

A fresh attempt to fill the lone vacant Member post of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has ended without a recommendation, with the selection committee deciding to club the position with other Board-level vacancies expected to arise later this year.

The panel met on July 28 and interviewed the five senior IRS (Customs & Indirect Taxes) officers who were shortlisted earlier. But sources said the committee could not reach a consensus on a candidate for the post.

The vacancy was first advertised in February 2026. The officers considered for the post were Raj Kumar and Valte Vungzamuan, both from the 1990 batch, and Prachi Saroop, Rimjhim Prasad and Rajesh Jindal from the 1991 batch.

The same group had earlier been evaluated when the government initiated the process to fill three Member-level vacancies on the Board. While two appointments were subsequently cleared, the third position remained unresolved.

With the latest selection process yielding no decision, the panel has now opted to combine the standalone vacancy with additional Board openings expected towards the end of the year.

The development means CBIC will continue to function with a partially filled Board until the consolidated selection process is undertaken.

PESB To Hold Interviews For Director-Level Posts

The Public Enterprises Selection Board (PESB) is set to conduct a fresh round of selection interviews for key Director-level positions at four major Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs), with interviews scheduled across the defence, steel, heavy equipment, and coal sectors.

The selection panel has gone ahead with the interview calendar for shortlisted candidates vying for senior functional roles at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL), BEML Limited, and Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).

Candidates shortlisted for the post of Director (Operations) at HAL appeared before the PESB on August 8. The selection process for the Director (Finance) position at SAIL was undertaken on August 10. The panel interviewed candidates for Director (Mining & Construction Business) at BEML on August 11, followed by interviews for Director (Personnel) at BCCL on August 13.

The latest round forms part of PESB’s ongoing exercise to identify and recommend senior executives for leadership positions across the public sector.