Major step to fill long-pending IAS vacancies from 2020–2024
In a significant administrative development, the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) on Monday, July 14, 2025, recommended the promotion of 18 officers from the Haryana Civil Services (HCS) to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) cadre. Additionally, nine more officers have been granted provisional promotions, subject to the outcomes of ongoing criminal proceedings.
2002 Recruitment Scam: Officers Promoted with Conditions
Out of the nine officers granted provisional promotions, eight — Jagdeep Dhanda, Sarita Malik, Kamlesh Bhadoo, Kuldhir Singh, Vatsal Vashisht, Jag Niwas, Veena Hooda, and Surender Singh-1 — are currently facing criminal charges related to alleged irregularities in the 2002 HCS recruitment. They are all under trial in Hisar, where the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) filed a chargesheet in 2023.
The ninth officer, Mahabir Parsad, is facing prosecution in a separate case involving another chargesheet.
According to sources, these officers are otherwise eligible for promotion, but due to the pending cases, they have been given only conditional approval for IAS elevation.
If the chargesheets are dismissed by December 31, 2025, their promotions will be regularized with effect from the current date. If not, their promotion recommendations will lapse in accordance with UPSC regulations and the IAS (Appointment by Promotion) Rules.
Filling Five Years of IAS Vacancies
The Haryana government had earlier proposed the promotion of 27 HCS officers from the 2002, 2003, and 2004 batches to fill 27 IAS vacancies that had accumulated over the past five years:
2020 – 3 vacancies
2021 – 4 vacancies
2022 – 8 vacancies
2023 – 10 vacancies
2024 – 2 vacancies
Promotion delays were largely due to pending court cases and investigations by the ACB, especially in connection with earlier recruitment irregularities. However, consistent follow-ups by the Haryana government helped expedite the process at the central level.
UPSC Norms on Provisional Promotions
Under Rule 7(3) of the IAS (Appointment by Promotion) Regulations, a promotion list cleared by the UPSC is considered final. However, if any officer on the list is already chargesheeted or receives a chargesheet later, their promotion is marked as “provisional.” These officers can only be formally inducted into the IAS after receiving clearance from the judiciary. If the legal proceedings do not end in their favor, their promotion stands automatically cancelled.
Impact and Outlook
This move is expected to ease administrative backlogs in Haryana and fill long-pending vacancies in the IAS cadre at the state level. However, the future of the nine provisionally promoted officers remains uncertain and depends entirely on court verdicts.
The development also brings renewed attention to the 2002 HCS recruitment scandal — a case that has dragged on for over two decades and continues to impact the careers of senior civil servants in Haryana.
