IAS Officers

The Kerala police on Saturday said that the phone of the IAS officer, whose WhatsApp account was used to create a religious group, was completely reset and therefore, forensics could not ascertain whether it was hacked as claimed by him. Amidst reports quoting police suggesting that the IAS officer's phone was not hacked, Thiruvananthapuram City Police Commissioner Sparjan Kumar said that it remains unclear whether the device was compromised, as it had been "reset". He also said that he had given a report regarding the matter to the State Police Chief, DGP Shaik Darvesh Saheb. The DGP's office said that the report was confidential and would be forwarded to the state government. The police investigated the matter following a complaint by the IAS officer alleging that his personal WhatsApp number was hacked and used to create a religious group. In the controversial WhatsApp group, officers from various communities were added, and the group was labelled as a Hindu community group. U

The Kerala government will examine the incident involving the controversial formation of a WhatsApp group for Hindu IAS officers, State Industries Minister P Rajeeve said on Monday. His statement followed a complaint lodged by an IAS officer with the police, alleging that his personal WhatsApp number was hacked and used to create a religious group. Responding to the controversy, Rajeeve said that the state government would investigate the formation of a group specifically for Hindu IAS officers. Describing the incident as "serious," he said that community-based divisions are highly concerning. "The government will look into this matter. There is a general code of conduct for IAS officers, which falls under the Public Administration department. We are currently examining the situation. Let's review and determine what needs to be done," he told reporters in New Delhi on Monday. The controversy arose after an IAS officer lodged a complaint with the police, claiming his personal Whats

Prior to this, Singh held the post of secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry

The central deputation of Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, currently serving as Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, has been extended till August 2026, paving the way for him to lead the team to carry out the much-delayed decadal census of India. Narayan is a 1995 batch IAS officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre and he is holding the key post under the Ministry of Home Affairs since 2020. "The President is pleased to extend the central deputation tenure of Shri Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, IAS (UP:1995), Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India, Ministry of Home Affairs beyond 06.12.2024 for a period up to 04.08.2026 or until further orders whichever is earlier. The Headquarters of Shri Mritunjay Kumar Narayan, IAS (UP:1995) will be New Delhi," according to an official notification. The house listing phase of the census and the exercise to update the National Population Register (NPR) were scheduled to be carried out across the country from April 1 to September 30, 2020 b

The Enforcement Directorate on Monday conducted searches in connection with a money laundering probe linked to alleged irregularities in the Jal Jeevan Mission scheme's implementation in poll-bound Jharkhand, official sources said. More than 20 locations in Ranchi are being covered as part of the probe. Some locations in Chaibasa in West Singhbhum district were also raided, the sources said. Premises linked to IAS officer Manish Ranjan, a personal staffer of drinking water and sanitation minister Mithilesh Kumar Thakur, his brother, some government officials, contractors and businessmen are being searched by the federal probe agency, they said. Ranjan is the secretary of the Land, Road and Building department and has been questioned by the ED earlier in a separate money laundering case in which it arrested former minister Alamgir Alam. Thakur charged that the raids are "politically motivated" as he refused to "buckle under pressure" of the saffron brigade to join the BJP. Alleging

In a major bureaucratic reshuffle, Rajasthan has transferred 58 IPS and 20 IAS officers. At the same time, four Indian Police Service (IPS) and eight Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers were given additional charge. The state government's personnel department issued the transfer lists late on Sunday. Additional Director General (ADG) for planning, modernisation and welfare Govind Gupta was made director general for jails. ADG (Railway) Anil Paliwal was shifted to technical services (telecommunications and technical) and traffic as director general. ADG (Vigilance) Ashok Rathore was shifted to training while ADG (Training) Malini Agrawal was made ADG (civil rights and human trafficking). Another eight ADGs and eight inspector general rank officials were changed. The Alwar, Bhilwara, Jaipur Rural, Ajmer, Bikaner, Tonk, Beawar, Kota Rural, Jodhpur Rural, Bundi, Deedwana-Kuchaman, Behror, Hanumangarh and Balotra got new superintendents of police (SPs). Charge of SPs of the K

Mohammad Shafi Pandit, the first Muslim IAS officer from Kashmir, passed away on Thursday. He was 80. Pandit was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Delhi after he was detected with cancer about a month ago, his family said. Pandit was the first Muslim from Kashmir to qualify the civil services examinations in 1969. His final assignment with the government was as the head of autonomous Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission. In the bureaucratic circles, Pandit was widely viewed as a chief secretary that Jammu and Kashmir never had. The soft-spoken Pandit was part of many civil society and philanthropic initiatives in Kashmir. He also played a key role in rolling out of the Mandal Commission report as he was the joint secretary in the Government of India in 1992. Pandit's body will be flown to Srinagar later in the day. "If possible, he will be laid to rest today," his family said. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh condoled the death of the IAS officer. "My good friend of ma

The owner of Rau's IAS study circle coaching institute where three UPSC aspirants drowned due to waterlogging in old Rajinder Nagar on July 27 "knowingly" used the basement for commercial purpose in contravention of the usage approved by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the CBI has alleged. In light of the "seriousness" of the allegations, the CBI sought special court's permission for "custodial interrogation" of coaching institute owner Abhishek Gupta and other accused Deshpal Singh, Harvinder Singh, Parvinder Singh, Sarabjeet Singh and Tajinder Singh who have been in judicial custody. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Nishant Garg on Saturday sent all six to CBI custody till September 4. In its submission to the court, the CBI has said that its probe has also shown that the institute did not have a fire safety certificate for nearly one year after the issue was flagged before the Delhi High Court in 2023. When the matter was raised before the high court last year that many

TV Somanathan took over as cabinet secretary on Friday following the superannuation of Rajiv Gauba, an official statement said. Gauba had been cabinet secretary since 2019 and completed an unprecedented five-year term. Until recently the Union finance secretary, Somanathan was named as the next cabinet secretary on August 10 with a two-year tenure. A 1987-batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, Somanathan is a qualified chartered accountant, cost accountant and company secretary. He has held important assignments at the Centre, including as joint secretary and later as additional secretary in the Prime Minister's Office. He also served as a joint secretary in the Union Ministry of Corporate Affairs and was deputed as director for corporate affairs at the World Bank in Washington DC. Somanathan was holding the charge of finance secretary and secretary in the Department of Expenditure when he was named cabinet secretary. In Tamil Nadu, he served many key positions such as manag

Senior bureaucrat Punya Salila Srivastava has been appointed as the new Health Secretary as part of a major top-level bureaucratic reshuffle effected by the Centre on Friday. Srivastava, who is currently Special Secretary in the Prime Minister's Office, will initially take over as the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Department of Health and Family Welfare, according to a Personnel Ministry order. She will take over as the Health Secretary after incumbent Apurva Chandra superannuates on September 30, it said. Rajesh Kumar Singh, Secretary for Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, has been named as new Defence Secretary. He will initially take over as the OSD in the Ministry before assuming the post of the Defence Secretary following superannuation of incumbent Aramane Giridhar on October 31, 2024. Minority Affairs Secretary Katikithala Srinivas to be next Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary. Senior bureaucrat Deepti Umashankar has been named new Secretary t

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Friday expressed concern over the "seductive" draw of the civil services, urging the aspirants to look for "lucrative" opportunities in other fields. Dhankhar made the observation while addressing the induction programme of the first batch of joint masters/LLM degree in Intellectual Property (IP) Law and Management at National Law University, Delhi. "...Now, I find the extravaganza of coaching centre advertisements overall in the newspapers... page one, page two, page three are filled up with faces of boys and girls who have made it. The same faces are being used by multiple organisations," the vice president said. "Look at the extravaganza of these advertisements, the cost, every penny of that advertisement has come from those young boys and girls who are in pursuit of securing a future for themselves," he added. The vice president asked the youths to look around for opportunities in other fields as well. "The time has come, let us come out of t

A court here on Thursday allowed the second bail plea of an SUV driver, arrested for his alleged role in drowning of three civil services aspirants in the basement of a coaching centre. During the proceedings, the Delhi Police told the court that they have decided to drop harsher charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against Manuj Kathuria, the SUV driver. Additional Sessions Judge Rakesh Kumar was hearing an appeal against the denial of bail to Kathuria by a magisterial court on Wednesday. "The bail is allowed," the judge said. A detailed order of the court is awaited. Kathuria was accused of driving his Force Gurkha car through the street that was flooded by rainwater, causing the water to swell and breach the gates of the three-storey building housing the coaching centre and inundate the basement. During the proceedings, the Delhi police told the court that they have decided to drop 'culpable homicide not amounting to murder' charge against Kathuria. "During the

A Delhi court on Thursday denied anticipatory bail to former IAS probationer Puja Khedkar who has been accused of cheating and wrongly availing of OBC and PwD (person with disabilities) quota benefits. Additional Sessions Judge Devender Kumar Jangala said Delhi Police "must also investigate if anyone from inside the UPSC helped Khedkar". The judge also widened the probe in the case and directed Delhi Police to investigate if other persons have availed of benefits under OBC and PwD quotas without entitlement. The UPSC on Wednesday cancelled Khedkar's candidature and debarred her from future exams. The judge had on Wednesday reserved the order after hearing arguments on the application filed by Khedkar, who claimed through her lawyer that she has "imminent threat of arrest". During the proceeding, the prosecution as well as the counsel appearing for the UPSC had opposed the application, claiming that she has "cheated the system". "This person has abused the law and process of law.

Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar, where three students died due to flooding in the basement of a coaching centre last week, was flooded again following a spell of heavy rain on Wednesday. Several videos surfaced of the flood-like situation in the stretch that is lined with many coaching centres. "We had come out from our home for dinner and it suddenly started raining and within minutes the whole area got flooded with water," a resident of the area said. "Even after five days (of the death of the UPSC aspirants), the administration and MCD is applying its complete force to suppress the protest and has done nothing for cleaning the drains," he said. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) was heavily criticised for the incident, which has has triggered a political blame game between the BJP and the AAP. Students have been protesting since the incident happened on July 27 and are demanding improved safety measures at coaching centres that pose a threat to their lives. A civil services .

The move comes in the wake of a tragedy that claimed the lives of three civil services aspirants in a flooded basement library of Rau's IAS coaching centre

The Delhi High Court on Wednesday pulled up authorities over the deaths of three UPSC aspirants who drowned in the basement of a coaching centre, saying such tragedies are bound to happen when there is no collection of taxes due to a "freebies culture". The high court hinted at asking a central agency to probe the incident and directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) commissioner, deputy commissioner of police concerned and the investigating officer of the case to appear before it on Friday. A bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said a "strange probe" was going on with Delhi Police taking action against a man who drove a car outside the coaching centre in Old Rajinder Nagar here but not acting against MCD officials. "Have they lost it? What is Delhi Police doing? What are its officials doing? This is a cover up or what? Has some official been held accountable for the incident till now? We are telling you, once the responsibility is fixed on

Delhi Lt Governor V K Saxena on Tuesday said appropriate action will be taken in connection with the deaths of three civil services aspirants in the basement of a coaching centre here. "It is a tragic incident. Whatever appropriate action needs to be taken will be taken. I do not believe in taking hasty decisions. Things are slowly coming to light. Whatever steps need to be taken will be taken," he told reporters on the sidelines of flagging off 320 electric buses. Three civil services aspirants died on Saturday evening after water from a flooded drain gushed into the basement of Rau's IAS Study Circle in Old Rajinder Nagar where a library was set up. The deceased were dentified as Uttar Pradesh's Shreya Yadav, Telangana's Tanya Soni and Kerala's Navin Dalwin. The Delhi LG on Monday visited the coaching hub of Old Rajinder Nagar and interacted with students protesting over the death of the three students. He also announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh for the families of each of th

Five accused arrested on Monday in connection with an incident, in which three civil service aspirants drowned at the basement of a coaching centre here, have been sent to judicial custody for 14 days by a court. The five accused -- four co-owners of the coaching centre at Rajinder Nagar and the driver of a car -- were produced in the court, which sent them to judicial custody till August 12. The driver of a sports utility vehicle (SUV) that drove through the street that was flooded by rainwater, causing the water to swell and breach the gates of the three-storey building and inundate the basement, was among the five arrested. His counsel told the court that his client had no intention or knowledge of causing death and sought his immediate release on bail. However, the plea was denied by the court.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said the culture of coaching centres has become no less than a "gas chamber" and stressed on the need to examine the huge expenditure incurred on newspaper advertisements by them. The Rajya Sabha on Monday held a short duration discussion under rule 176 on the deaths of three UPSC aspirants in a coaching centre in Delhi due to water logging. Allowing the discussion, Dhakhar remarked, "I find that youth demographic dividend of the country has to be nurtured, I further find that coaching has become virtually commerce." He also pointed out the high sums earned by the coaching centres leading to commercialisation of education. "Coachings have become a flourishing industry with high returns....every time we read a newspaper front one or two pages are by way of advertisements....Every penny spent on advertisement is coming from the students, every new building is coming from the students," he said. Comparing the coaching culture to no less

Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Monday said coaching institutes have to follow the rules and regulations and asserted that there should be no politics over the death of three UPSC aspirants due to flooding at an institute here. Taking part in a short debate in the Rajya Sabha over the death of three students at a UPSC coaching centre in Delhi's Old Rajinder Nagar on July 27, the minister termed the incident unfortunate. Nothing would compensate for the loss the bereaved families have suffered, Pradhan said. "We must fix responsibility so that such incidents do not recur," he said, adding, "There should be no politics... Negligence has happened and someone has to take responsibility so that a solution can be found." Stressing that education is in the concurrent list and is the responsibility of the Centre as well as the state, Pradhan said the coaching centres have responsibilities too. The Government of India sent advisories related to coaching centres to the states