ACC Clears 64 Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) Officers of 1993 Batch for Elevation as Chief Commissioners of Income Tax; 2025 Review and 2026 Regular Panels Finalised
In a major administrative development within India’s top tax authority, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the empanelment of 64 officers belonging to the 1993 batch of the Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) for promotion to the rank of Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (CCIT). The empanelment authorises their elevation to Level 16 of the Pay Matrix, one of the senior-most grades in the Income Tax hierarchy.
This decision, which covers both the 2025 Review Panel and the 2026 Regular Panel, represents a crucial leadership transition phase within the Income Tax Department (ITD). Officers included in the empanelment are now eligible for appointment to some of the most strategic and policy-driven roles in direct tax administration across the country.
Notably, Anurag Goyal’s name does not feature in the final empanelment list.
Structured Panel Allocation: 2025 Review and 2026 Regular Cycle.
The ACC’s approval is divided into two distinct components:
Panel Year 2025 (Review Panel)
Panel Year 2026 (Regular Panel)
Additionally, an Extended Panel has been constituted for 2026 to ensure administrative continuity in the event of unforeseen vacancies arising from retirement, deputation, or other service contingencies.
Panel Year 2025 (Review)
The following two officers have been empanelled under the Review category for the year 2025:
Sukesh Kumar Jain
Tarun Seem
The review mechanism typically reassesses eligible officers whose cases may have required reconsideration or who fall within the zone of consideration due to vacancy adjustments.
Panel Year 2026 (Regular)
The 2026 Regular Panel comprises the majority of the empanelled officers. Those cleared for elevation to the CCIT grade are:
Biswaranjan Sasmal
Anand Mohan
Vijay Shankar
Jagdish P Chandrakar
Sanjiv
Amol S Kamat
Sunil Kumar Singh
Anurag Srivastava
T Bidari Sreenivas
Meenakshi Singh
Alok Singh
Pramod Kumar Singh
Sanjay Goyal
Jagjivan K Garg
Kanwal Jit Singh
Dilip Singh Kothari
Jeotsna Johri
Hari Govind Singh
Ravi Shankar Shrivastava
Meeta Singh
Satpal Gulati
V Pallanivel Rajan
Jaspreet Singh Minhas
Rahul Navin
Sanjiv Shankar
N C Swain
Raman Chopra
Virendra Ojha
Richa Khoda
Jasdeep Singh
Paramita M Biswas
Rajiv Kumar Singh
Shivraj B Morey
Gulshan Raj
Radhey Shyam
Yaswant K Bhaskar
Savita Bundas
Vanita Rattan Sharma
Upendra Bhushan Mishra
Shahi Sanjay Kumar
Swati Joshi
Sukhveer Singh Choudhary
Abhjit A Patankar
Amaresh Singh
Sunil K Jha
Saroj Kumar Mahapatra
Sunita Singh
Priya Ranjan Ghosh
Manas Mehrotra
Vatsalya Saxena
Harendra Narayan Singh
Krishna Kumar Mishra
Bhuvnesh Kulshrestha
Satender Singh Rana
These officers, having completed more than three decades of service in direct tax administration, now stand at the threshold of occupying apex-level operational and supervisory assignments within the department.
Extended Panel for Vacancy Year 2026
To safeguard against potential disruptions in cadre management, the ACC has also approved an Extended Panel. This reserve list will be activated if officers from the main 2026 panel are unable to assume charge due to superannuation, central deputation, or other service-related reasons during the vacancy year.
The officers placed in the Extended Panel are:
Avadesh Kumar
Rajeev Kumar
Harishankar Kumar Lal
Sangram R Gaikwad
Aroop Kumar Singh
Rajesh Kumar
Krishan Kumar
Rajesh Kumar Bhoot
The extended arrangement ensures that the department maintains leadership stability and continuity in its high-ranking positions without administrative delays.
Significance of the CCIT Grade
The elevation to the rank of Chief Commissioner of Income Tax marks a defining milestone in the professional journey of IRS (Income Tax) officers. Positioned in Level 16 of the Pay Matrix, the CCIT grade represents one of the highest functional ranks within the Income Tax Department, just below the apex-level policy leadership.
Chief Commissioners play a critical role in:
Supervising large regional jurisdictions
Overseeing tax administration and enforcement
Guiding policy implementation
Ensuring compliance and revenue mobilisation
Leading investigative and assessment wings
Managing high-value litigation and appellate matters
With India’s expanding tax base, increasing digitalisation of compliance systems, and heightened focus on revenue transparency, the role of CCITs has grown significantly in strategic importance.
Leadership Transition in a Transforming Tax Ecosystem
The empanelment of the 1993 batch officers comes at a time when the Income Tax Department is navigating a rapidly evolving fiscal and technological landscape. Initiatives such as faceless assessment, data-driven compliance monitoring, enhanced taxpayer services, and international tax coordination demand seasoned leadership at the top.
By clearing 64 officers for elevation, the ACC has effectively paved the way for a generational leadership shift within the department. These officers bring decades of field experience, policy exposure, and institutional knowledge, positioning them to steer India’s direct tax administration through its next phase of reform and modernisation.
Administrative Oversight and Governance
The role of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet is pivotal in approving senior-level appointments across central services. Its decisions reflect careful scrutiny of service records, vigilance clearances, seniority norms, and suitability assessments.
The empanelment does not automatically translate into immediate posting but makes officers eligible for appointment as and when vacancies arise in accordance with cadre management rules.
The empanelment of 64 IRS (Income Tax) officers of the 1993 batch for promotion as Chief Commissioners of Income Tax underscores a significant administrative advancement within India’s revenue governance framework. Covering both the 2025 Review and the 2026 Regular Panels, along with a structured Extended Panel, the decision ensures continuity, stability, and experienced leadership at the helm of direct tax administration.
