Empanelment Cleared for 2025–26, Including Supplementary, Regular, and Extended Panels
In a significant development within the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the empanelment of 16 senior IRS (Customs & Indirect Taxes) officers for promotion to the prestigious Apex Scale as Principal Chief Commissioners/Principal Director Generals of Customs and Indirect Taxes.
This move strengthens the top leadership of India’s indirect taxation system, with empanelments covering the Supplementary Panel for 2025, the Regular Panel for 2026, and an Extended Panel to account for vacancies arising due to superannuation.
Supplementary Panel (2025)
Mayank Kumar
Madan Mohan Singh
Shrawan Kumar
L. Satya Sriniwas
Arti A. Srinivas
Charul Baranwal
These officers, recognized for their distinguished service, will now be eligible to serve in the highest echelons of the IRS.
Regular Panel (2026)
M. Subramaniam
Sanjay Rathi
Nitish Kumar Sinha
Shailendra Kumar Sinha
Abhai Kumar Srivastav
Their empanelment takes effect from the 2026 calendar year, enabling future appointments at the Apex Grade.
Extended Panel (2026)
To ensure continuity of leadership, an extended pool of officers has been created for filling vacancies arising from retirements or other contingencies:
S.K. Vimalanathan
Vimal Kumar Srivastava
Pranesh Pathak
Rajendra Singh
Significance of the Move
The empanelment underscores the government’s focus on strengthening tax administration, policy leadership, and enforcement capacity within the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
These senior officers will play a pivotal role in:
Shaping customs and indirect tax policies
Driving effective GST implementation
Enhancing trade facilitation
Leading anti-smuggling and enforcement measures nationwide
By elevating seasoned officers to the Apex Grade, the government aims to bring greater efficiency, strategic depth, and administrative stability to India’s indirect tax framework.
