The Telangana government has relieved six All India Service (AIS) officers from the Andhra Pradesh cadre following a ruling by the Telangana High Court. The court dismissed their petitions and refused to intervene in the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) orders, which were based on directives from the Directorate of Personnel and Training (DoPT).
On Wednesday, the High Court’s Division Bench, consisting of Justice Abhinandan Kumar Shavili and Justice Laxmi Narayana Alishetty, dismissed seven writ petitions filed by AIS officers. The court directed that the officers must follow the DoPT orders issued on October 9 and report to their respective states immediately.
The officers had filed these petitions after a CAT ruling on Tuesday, which instructed them to report to the Andhra Pradesh government as per the DoPT’s directives. The officers hoped the High Court would intervene and stay the CAT orders.
However, the High Court declined to intervene. Justice Abhinandan Kumar Shavili stated that as All-India Service Officers, they are required to serve wherever they are assigned, and it is not the court’s role to decide their postings. He emphasized that the Union of India is responsible for determining the officers’ postings, not the courts.
The judge further remarked, “They should first go and report to their respective states.” He also noted that granting a stay on the orders would set a precedent that could lead to endless legal actions regarding officer postings.
The AIS officers’ legal team argued that the officers had been serving in their current states for more than 10 years and were essential for ongoing work. They also pointed out that the state governments had requested the Government of India to retain the officers in their current states, as their services were needed, and moving them would disrupt their families. Despite these arguments, the court refused to stay the CAT orders.
Following the court’s decision, the Telangana government relieved several officials. Among them were Ronald Rose, Secretary of the Energy Department; Vani Prasad, Secretary of the Youth Affairs, Tourism, Culture, and Sports Department; Amrapali Kata, Commissioner of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC); and Karuna Vakati, Secretary of the Women and Child Welfare Department. These officers were originally allocated to the Andhra Pradesh cadre.
Additionally, Hari Kiran, Srijana Gummalla, and Siva Sankar Lotheti, who were originally allocated to Telangana but were working in Andhra Pradesh, must now report back to the Telangana government.
