Inside Raisina Hill: Weekly Wrap From The Power Corridor-VII

As one walks down the Hill along the Rajpath, now renamed Kartavya Path, come other edifices — Rail Bhavan, Krishi Bhavan, and Shashtri 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".

Get Married, Move To Spouse's Cadre

Re-allocation of cadres to IAS officers is a normal process. It has been done since the inception of the service, keeping in view certain valid and pressing reasons, which among others also include ‘marriage’.

The basis of ‘marriage’ has always been a prime driver for officers to seek transfer from one state cadre to the other. Successive governments have treated such requests with empathy.

Recently, a unique development took place when, on a single day after consulting the state governments, the central government issued three separate orders, re-allocating three IAS officers from their allocated cadre to the cadre of their respective choices, ‘marriage’ being cited as the reason.

On April 11, 2025, the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT) issued three separate orders re-allocating cadres to 2021-batch IAS officer Ashish Kumar Mishra, 2022-batch IAS officer Vaishali R, and 2024-batch IAS officer Chhaya Singh.

In the first order, the DoPT said, “In the exercise of the powers conferred… and with the concurrence of the state governments of Uttarakhand and Rajasthan, the Central government hereby transfers Ashish Kumar Mishra, IAS (UD: 2021) from Uttarakhand to Rajasthan cadre on grounds of marriage to Anshu Priya, IAS (RJ: 2022).”

In a similar but separate order, the DoPT said, “… the Central government hereby transfers Vaishali R, IAS (GJ: 2023) from Gujarat cadre to Andhra Pradesh cadre on grounds of marriage to Pawar Swapnil Jagannath, IAS (AP: 2023).”

In a third DoPT order, Chhaya Singh, IAS (MP: 2024), was transferred from the Madhya Pradesh cadre to the Rajasthan cadre “on grounds of marriage to Mohit Kasniya, IAS (RJ: 2022)”. 

This leads us to recount a story on power couples in India's bureaucracy. Some will be known to our readers, but a recap is always interesting:

Pati, Patni Aur Posts: The Power Couples Of India’s Bureaucracy

In Kerala:

There has always been talk of ‘pati, patni aur woh’, but the Indian bureaucracy is marked by several examples of ‘pati, patni and posts’. Several such couples have served the Union and state governments with alacrity and distinction.  

One of the most unique developments took place in Kerala when an IAS wife succeeded her husband as the Chief Secretary of the state. When V Venu, a 1990-batch IAS officer, retired from the service on August 31, 2024, his wife and batchmate Sarada Muraleedharan succeeded him as the Kerala Chief Secretary.

The consecutive posting of the power couple soon caught the attention of people and became the subject of discussion in bureaucratic circles.

Muraleedharan was handling the responsibility of Additional Chief Secretary in the Local Self Department when she was promoted to the post of the Chief Secretary.

She led the state government’s ambitious poverty alleviation programme, Kudumbashree Mission, for six years from 2006 to 2012. She also led several schemes related to women's empowerment.

In Delhi Police:

In Delhi Police too, a husband-wife combination caught the attention of all, when the additional charge of Joint Commissioner of Police (Crime) was given to AGMUT cadre IPS officer Nupur Prasad of the 2007-batch.

Soon after she was given the charge, her husband and batchmate Surender Kumar proceeded on a month-long Phase-IV training at Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy (SVPNPA), Hyderabad.

Incidentally, Nupur Prasad has the experience of handling high-profile cases, like film actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s suicide case, when she was in the CBI.

In fact, the IPS couple is considered powerful among peers, and their long stay in Delhi has given quite some heartburn to a section of insiders.

Spicing up the development, a section of the insiders called the development “ghar ki sarkar”.

In Punjab:

Similar was the situation in Punjab when 1987-batch IAS officer Vini Mahajan became the first woman bureaucrat in the history of Punjab to hold the top post of the state’s Chief Secretary.

At that time, her husband, Dinkar Gupta, an IPS officer of the 1986-batch, was the Director General of Police (DGP) in the state. A couple holding the top positions in both civil and police organisations in the state was also a first of its kind.

Initially, a section in the Punjab government felt husband Dinkar Gupta’s assignment as DGP may come in the way of Mahajan being elevated, but finally the premise was proved wrong.

Later, just before retirement, both husband and wife were given central deputation, when Gupta was made Director-General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Mahajan a Secretary in the Government of India.

Mahajan’s name was speculated by the media in the race for Cabinet Secretary. But alas, that was not to be.

In Odisha:

The much-talked-about and a bit controversial power couple were Odisha cadre IAS officers V K Pandian of the 2000-batch and his wife and batchmate Sujata R Karthikeyan.

Both of them took voluntary retirements: Pandian, when he espoused political ambition by aligning with former state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. After the Assembly elections in which Patnaik’s party was defeated, Karthikeyan too opted for VRS. It is to be noted that just before taking VRS, Karthikeyan had found that her name was missing from the list of those empaneled for holding posts of the rank Additional Secretary in the Government of India.

It was only last month that Karthikeyan’s VRS was approved, after the Odisha government forwarded her application, which was submitted on March 13, 2025. The central government accepted her VRS with retrospective effect, from March 13, 2025, waiving the mandatory three-month notice period.

It may also be noted here that Karthikeyan was serving as the Special Secretary in the Finance Department. During Naveen Patnaik’s rule in the state, Pandian served as Secretary to the CM. His peers in service considered and termed him the “super CM” as well as the “super chief secretary”.

Pillai vs Pillai:

In the first decade of the 21st century, the Government of India was marked by the Pillai vs Pillai race to acquire the top bureaucratic post of Cabinet Secretary.

The then Labour Secretary, 1972-batch Sudha Pillai, and her husband and IAS batchmate, Commerce Secretary G K Pillai, had become key contenders for the post of Cabinet Secretary, which fell vacant after K M Chandrasekhar's retirement.

In an ironic aftermath, neither became the Cabinet Secretary, as the then government decided on the name of Ajit Kumar Seth, a 1974-batch IAS officer from the Uttar Pradesh cadre.

Seth held the post from June 14, 2011, to June 23, 2015. In the meanwhile, G K Pillai was made Home Secretary and Sudha Pillai was posted as Member Secretary, Planning Commission, the erstwhile avatar of the present-day NITI Aayog.

Ajay N Jha Resigns From Finance Commission, Others Rattled

Is all well with the 16th Finance Commission (FC)?

The question is on everybody’s lips after Ajay Narayan Jha, one of the three full-time members, decided to step down. He submitted his resignation last week, leading to murmurs that the resignation has rattled the other members.

The Commission has six more months to go and is slated to submit its report by October. Although Jha is reportedly ailing, his resignation from the body has raised several questions, particularly due to how it was handled.

The 16th Finance Commission, which will cover the five-year period between 2026 and 2031, is headed by Arvind Panagariya, former deputy chairman of NITI Aayog. Jha has also served on the 14th and 15th Finance Commissions.  

Other members of the commission are Manoj Panda, former director of the Institute of Economic Growth; Annie George Mathew, former special secretary, Expenditure Department of the Ministry of Finance; and Soumya Kanti Ghosh, chief economist, State Bank of India, who is a part-time member.

For the 16th FC, challenges are multiple as it has to delicately balance allocation and distribution of resources among states.

The President appoints the FC after every five years under Article 280 of the Constitution. The key objective of the body is to provide recommendations on the distribution of tax revenues between the Centre and the States, and also among the states themselves. 

The FC reports play a key role in settling the relationship between the Centre and the states. Its recommendations have often been a bone of contention in the Centre-state relationships and created a divide between the north and south of the country.

The southern states have earlier expressed discontent over their shares of revenue by the Centre as they noted that the quantum has been slashed by the 15th Finance Commission. N K Singh was the chairman of the 15th Finance Commission.

Race Hots Up For 50th Chief Secretary Of Kerala

The Kerala state government is about to announce the name of the 50th Chief Secretary (CS) of the state. This is going to be an appointment to watch out for, as the state goes to the polls next year.

The decision may come on April 23, when the Cabinet meeting is scheduled. Incidentally, the timing of the meeting is just a week ahead of the retirement of incumbent Chief Secretary Sarada Muraleedharan (IAS: 1990, Kerala cadre).

Last month, Muraleedharan was all over social media. Somebody compared her tenure as CS with his husband’s by saying, “It is as black as (her) husband’s was white”. In a rare change of guard at the top state bureaucratic post, Muraleedharan took over from V Venu, who retired as the CS on August 31 last year.

She made a Facebook post and handled the "dark controversy" articulately.

Next CS has to be the “right choice”, implying a propensity to deliver by remaining politically correct. The other two key factors of seniority and “outsider” may also come into play in determining the name of the next CS.

Three senior-most officers seem to be in the reckoning — Rajesh Kumar Singh (1989-batch), Manoj Joshi (1989-batch) and Rachna Shah (1991-batch). They are serving as Union secretaries holding key portfolios like Defence, Land Resources and the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), respectively.

Out of these three, Joshi, being competent and a no-nonsense officer, seems to have a greater chance of making the cut. Before becoming Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary in the Government of India, the Kerala chief minister entrusted him with the key portfolio of finance as Additional Chief Secretary. He also has a seniority advantage.

However, the DoPT has not received any proposal from the Kerala government yet requesting the repatriation.

If Joshi is unwilling, A Jayathilak (1991-batch) may hold the edge in terms of seniority. As Additional Chief Secretary (Finance), Jayathilak has the government’s confidence, and he is the man behind promoting Kerala Tourism. He is also known for his own style of operating.

Why IB Chief Tapan Deka Might Receive an Extension

The central government is considering extending the tenure of Tapan Kumar Deka, the current Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), by another year. Deka, a 1988-batch IPS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre, is among the most senior officials in the agency, and several factors appear to support the case for his continuation in the top intelligence post.

A key reason behind a possible extension for Deka is the lack of suitable successors. Currently, there are no serving IB officers from the 1989-1992 IPS batches — the pool from which the government is typically considering candidates for the post. The government is reportedly hesitant to appoint officers from later than the 1992 batch as the role of IB Director demands extensive experience and institutional familiarity.

While some officers from the 1993 batch have recently been elevated, they are still considered junior for the top job. The IB has traditionally promoted from within, and rarely brings in outsiders to lead the agency. Officers are typically groomed over years for leadership roles, which further narrows the eligible candidate pool.

Deka brings to the table a wealth of experience, particularly in the Northeast. A native of Assam, he has played a pivotal role in intelligence operations and governmental decision-making in the region. His involvement has been especially significant in the context of the recent ethnic violence in Manipur.

Despite the appointment of former Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla as the Governor of Manipur, the situation in the state remains unstable. In such a volatile environment, the government may prefer continuity at the top of its internal intelligence agency.

(Contributed by Pawan Kumar, Mahua Sengupta Venkatesh & Jayanta Roy Chowdhury; anchored by Abhijit Mukhopadhyay)