'Unusually Swift' VRS For IRS Officer Sparks Bihar Poll Speculation

The latest among the many bureaucrats who have done that is 2001-batch Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officer Sujit Kumar, a native of Bihar who was holding the post of the Principal Commissioner of Income Tax.

Kumar recently approached the government with a Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) request, which was approved with immediate effect, but with a caveat that while the separation is "immediate", he will be eligible for pension benefits only after the completion of the standard three-month notice.

The IRS officer’s exit from service is being widely seen as a signal of his intent to enter the electoral battlefield of Bihar.

In an unprecedented move, the President of India cleared Kumar’s voluntary retirement request on October 11, 2025, bypassing usual procedural delays.

Bihar Assembly Elections

Kumar, who was serving as Principal Commissioner (OSD), Appeal Unit-11 in Delhi, had invoked Rule 43 of the Central Civil Services (Pension) Rules, 2021, to opt for VRS. His request was processed and approved at a pace that insiders describe as “unusually swift,” suggesting political overtones ahead of the upcoming Bihar Assembly elections.

In the normal course, VRS applications involve a waiting period, with pension commutation processed only after the mandatory three-month notice. But, in Kumar’s case, while retirement is effective immediately, his pension commutation will be deferred until December 25, 2025, in accordance with government norms.

The order approving his retirement also states that any commercial employment within a year post-retirement would require prior clearance from the Central government, a clause standard in such high-level retirements to maintain probity and post-service decorum.

VRS Approval

Notably, only weeks before his VRS approval, Kumar had been promoted to the prestigious rank of the Principal Commissioner of Income Tax, a Level 15 post in the pay matrix - well ahead of many IAS officers of the same batch.

The promotion placed him among the senior-most IRS officers, highlighting his strong administrative track record and the trust he commanded within the department.

The swiftness with which the government approved his VRS request has fuelled strong speculation that he may soon join the ruling BJP and might be fielded from one of the Assembly constituencies in Bihar.

He was also widely expected to be fielded during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but the plan was dropped due to last-minute political realignment forces in the ruling NDA alliance.