Centre Orders Early Repatriation of Senior IAS and IRS Officers; DoPT Issues Formal Notifications
The Union government has ordered the premature repatriation of three senior civil servants—two Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers and one Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer—from their central deputation assignments. The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) issued formal notifications on Tuesday, confirming their return to their respective parent cadres in accordance with established administrative procedures.
The move reflects a routine cadre-management exercise carried out periodically by the central government to balance staffing requirements, review deputation tenures, and accommodate administrative or personal considerations of officers serving at the Union level.
Sandhya Bhullar Returns to Gujarat Cadre from DPIIT
Ms. Sandhya Bhullar, a 2003-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, has been relieved from her post as Joint Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). As per the DoPT order, she has been prematurely repatriated to her parent cadre.
During her tenure at DPIIT, Bhullar was associated with policy formulation and implementation related to industrial development, internal trade, and ease of doing business initiatives at the national level. Her repatriation brings her central deputation to a close ahead of the originally sanctioned term.
Lochan Sehra Repatriated from IN-SPACe, Ahmedabad
Another Gujarat-cadre officer, Mr. Lochan Sehra, a 2002-batch IAS officer, has also been sent back to his parent cadre. Sehra was serving as Joint Secretary at the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe), based in Ahmedabad.
At IN-SPACe, he played a significant administrative role in facilitating private sector participation in India’s space ecosystem and coordinating regulatory and policy frameworks linked to commercial and non-governmental space activities. With the latest notification, his central deputation assignment stands concluded.
IRS Officer Vinit Kumar Returns on Personal Grounds
Mr. Vinit Kumar, a 2013-batch IRS officer of the Customs and Central Excise (C&CE) stream, has been prematurely repatriated from his post as Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) at NEPA Limited, a public sector undertaking located in Nepanagar, Madhya Pradesh.
According to the DoPT notification, Kumar’s repatriation has been approved on personal grounds. His return marks the end of his central posting in the public sector vigilance framework, and he will now rejoin his parent cadre for further posting.
Administrative Significance of the Repatriations
Premature repatriation from central deputation is a well-established administrative mechanism used by the government to ensure optimal deployment of officers across the Centre and states. IAS and IRS officers are routinely deputed to Union ministries, statutory bodies, and public sector enterprises to contribute their expertise at the national level.
Such decisions may be influenced by a variety of factors, including cadre requirements, policy priorities, tenure reviews, or personal circumstances of the officers concerned. The latest repatriations underscore the ongoing process of administrative realignment aimed at maintaining institutional efficiency and balanced cadre management across the civil services.
