Chandigarh, June 20: The Centre has approved a one-year extension for Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, extending his term from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, dashing the hopes of several senior IAS officers who were in the race for the top bureaucratic post.
The decision, conveyed to the Haryana government by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Thursday, follows a request from the Nayab Saini-led BJP government, which had formally sought an extension for Rastogi ahead of his scheduled retirement on June 30.
Rastogi, a 1990 batch IAS officer and currently No. 3 on the state gradation list, was elevated to the Chief Secretary’s post in February this year after the then incumbent Vivek Joshi was appointed as Election Commissioner. The appointment had already stirred discontent among peers, as the government had bypassed the seniority norm.
With the extension in place, at least nine officers from the 1990 and 1991 batches, including several of Rastogi’s batchmates, have effectively been ruled out of contention. Among the 1990 batch, Sudhir Rajpal, Sumita Misra, Anand Mohan Sharan, and Raja Shekhar Vundru were strong contenders. The 1991 batch included officers like Vineet Garg, Anil Malik, G Anupama, AK Singh, and Abhilaksh Likhi.
While both Rajpal and Misra are above Rastogi in the official gradation list, an unresolved seniority dispute among 1990 batch officers played in Rastogi’s favour. A petition had been filed against Rajpal and Misra—who were originally allocated non-Haryana cadres but later joined Haryana—challenging their seniority. The matter remains undecided, although they officially remain at Nos. 1 and 2 in the gradation list.
Over the years, such extensions for retiring chief secretaries—particularly those aligned with ruling state governments—have become increasingly common. In March, Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena, also a 1990 batch officer, was granted a six-month extension. Similarly, Odisha Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja received a one-year extension starting January 2025. Notably, Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary DS Mishra served through three consecutive extensions totaling two and a half years before retiring on June 30, 2023.
The Haryana government has so far not issued any official comment on the move, but sources indicate Rastogi’s close working equation with the political leadership played a decisive role in securing the extension.
