Haryana Government Reassigns IPS Officers from IAS-Designated Posts, Signaling Shift in Cadre Policy and Strengthening IAS Influence
The Nayab Singh Saini-led Haryana government has ordered the transfer of two senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers—Navdeep Singh Virk (IPS: 1994: Haryana) and Kala Ramachandran (IPS: 1994: Haryana)—from positions traditionally earmarked for Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers, reassigning them back to core policing roles.
The decision has reignited discussions around cadre discipline and inter-service boundaries within the state administration.
Until their transfer, Navdeep Singh Virk was functioning as Principal Secretary, Sports, while Kala Ramachandran was holding charge as Principal Secretary, Heritage and Tourism. Both posts are conventionally classified as IAS cadre positions, and their allocation to IPS officers had remained a contentious issue within bureaucratic circles for a considerable period.
Move Seen as Course Correction in IAS–IPS Equations
Senior officials view the latest reshuffle as a deliberate step to restore the traditional balance between the IAS and IPS cadres in Haryana. Over the years, sections of the IAS community have expressed strong reservations about non-IAS officers being appointed to posts designated under IAS cadre rules, arguing that such appointments dilute cadre structure and career progression norms.
With the reassignment of Virk and Ramachandran, the administrative advantage appears to have swung back towards the IAS lobby, which has consistently pushed for strict adherence to cadre classifications. The development has also created unease among several other non-IAS officers currently occupying IAS-designated posts, as the decision could foreshadow similar changes affecting their tenure.
A Longstanding Bureaucratic Turf Battle
The friction between IAS and IPS officers over control of senior administrative posts in Haryana is not new. During the tenure of former Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, IPS officer Shatrujeet Kapoor (IPS: 1990: Haryana) was appointed Chairman of the state’s power utilities—another position historically reserved for IAS officers. That decision had triggered widespread debate within the bureaucracy and highlighted what many described as a simmering “cold war” between the two premier All India Services.
The issue resurfaced sharply in 2021, when then Home Minister Anil Vij and former Chief Secretary Vijai Vardhan objected to the posting of non-IAS officers to IAS cadre posts, citing violations of IAS Cadre Rules. The disagreement escalated to the extent that the Central Government had to intervene, after it emerged that at least nine non-IAS officers were occupying IAS-designated positions in the state.
Despite repeated objections, the BJP-led state government had maintained that the posting of All India Service officers falls within the executive discretion of the elected government, a stance that often put it at odds with cadre purists.
Administrative and Political Implications
The latest transfers are being interpreted on multiple levels within bureaucratic and political circles. They are widely seen as:
A symbolic assertion of IAS cadre primacy in administrative postings
An indication that the government is responsive to cadre sensitivities and conventions
A potential precedent that could influence future appointments of IPS, IFS, and IRS officers to IAS-designated roles
At the same time, the move is also expected to ease inter-cadre tensions by clarifying role boundaries, while reaffirming the state government’s authority in matters of postings and transfers.
As Haryana recalibrates its administrative framework, the reassignments of Virk and Ramachandran may mark a turning point in how cadre norms are interpreted and enforced, with long-term implications for governance and bureaucratic harmony in the state.
