For the First Time, IRS Officers Outpace IAS Batchmates in Promotions to Level 15 of the Pay Matrix
In a landmark departure from long-standing bureaucratic convention, the Modi government has approved the promotion of 20 Indian Revenue Service (IRS–Income Tax) officers of the 2001 batch to the rank of Principal Commissioner of Income Tax (Pr. CIT) at Level 15 of the Pay Matrix (₹1,82,200 – ₹2,24,100).
What makes this move historic is that it comes before the empanelment of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers of the same batch for the equivalent Additional Secretary rank — a first in the history of India’s civil services.
Breaking Convention: IRS Surpasses IAS
Traditionally, the IAS has led the empanelment ladder, with its officers being cleared first for senior roles at Level 15, followed by other central services such as the IRS, IPS, and IFS.
This time, however, IRS officers have moved ahead of their IAS counterparts from the 2001 batch. For context, only 16 officers from the 2000 IAS batch were empanelled as Additional Secretaries earlier this year (15 in March and one in June), while empanelment for the 2001 IAS batch has yet to begin.
This unusual sequencing has generated considerable discussion across bureaucratic and policymaking circles.
Top-Level Push Cleared Delays
Sources indicate that the promotion file had been stalled across departments, requiring intervention at the highest levels to push it through. Speculation also suggests that urgency was added by reports of a 2001-batch IRS officer considering voluntary retirement (VRS) to contest elections — prompting the government to fast-track the promotions.
List of 2001-Batch IRS Officers Promoted to Principal Commissioner
The following officers have been elevated to Level 15, equivalent to the IAS Additional Secretary rank:
Sanjay Dhariwal
Dharam Veer Singh
Sujit Kumar
Monika Dhami
Neelam Shukla
Satyasai Rath
P. Praveen Siddharth
Susan Thomas
A.S. Kumbhar
Manish Sareen
Dr. Sanjay Kumar Lal
Prakash Dubey
Vijay Kumar Jaiswal
Vijay Babu Vasanta
Pradeep Kumar Meel
Rajib Jain
R. Clement Ramesh Kumar
Deshmukh S. Vishwas Rao
K. Meghnath Chowhan
Mudavathu N. Murthy Naik
Implications for Civil Services Hierarchy
This development disrupts the traditional IAS-first hierarchy, potentially reshaping promotion expectations across cadres. Analysts view it as a shift toward a performance- and role-readiness-driven approach, rather than a strictly seniority-based model.
Many also see it as a significant recognition of specialized services such as the IRS, whose officers play a critical role in tax administration, revenue mobilization, and anti-evasion efforts — areas central to the government’s economic and fiscal reforms.
