Andhra Pradesh IPS Reshuffle: Kanthi Rana Tata, Vishal Gunni Get Fresh Postings After Suspension Revocation
The Andhra Pradesh government has carried out a significant reshuffle of IPS officers, assigning fresh responsibilities to several senior police officials, including 2004-batch IPS officer Kanthi Rana Tata and 2010-batch officer Vishal Gunni, following the revocation of their suspensions earlier this month.
The latest orders are particularly notable for Tata and Gunni, who had been awaiting new assignments after their reinstatement. Both officers had remained under suspension since 2024 in connection with the Kadambari Jethwani case. Their suspensions were subsequently revoked by the state government, paving the way for their return to active service and fresh postings within the Andhra Pradesh police administration.
Under the latest reshuffle, Kanthi Rana Tata, a 2004-batch IPS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, has been appointed Inspector General of Police, Directorate of Traffic Management and Road Safety. The new assignment places him in charge of an important area of policing involving traffic management, road safety measures and coordination of enforcement-related activities across the state.
Vishal Gunni, a 2010-batch IPS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, has been posted as Deputy Inspector General of Police, Training. He has also been given additional charge as Director of the Andhra Pradesh Police Academy (APPA). The assignment gives him responsibility for police training and institutional development while also placing the state’s police academy under his additional charge.
The fresh postings come soon after the Andhra Pradesh government formally revoked the suspension orders against both officers. The reinstatement orders had specifically stated that the revocation was without prejudice to the ongoing disciplinary and criminal proceedings concerning the matter. In other words, the return to service and subsequent postings do not affect the status or continuation of the proceedings.
Kanthi Rana Tata Gets Traffic Management and Road Safety Charge
The appointment of Kanthi Rana Tata as IG of the Directorate of Traffic Management and Road Safety marks his return to a senior operational position after a prolonged period without a regular posting.
A 2004-batch officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, Tata has held several responsibilities during his police career. His new assignment is centred on traffic management and road safety, areas that require coordination between enforcement agencies, district police units and other government departments.
The Directorate’s work assumes particular importance as the state continues to deal with traffic regulation, road safety enforcement and measures aimed at reducing accidents. Tata’s new role will therefore involve an area that has a direct interface with everyday public safety and policing.
His appointment also comes against the backdrop of the government’s decision earlier this month to revoke his suspension. The order restoring him to service did not bring the disciplinary or criminal proceedings to an end, and the latest posting has been made separately from those proceedings.
Vishal Gunni Posted as DIG, Training
For Vishal Gunni, the new assignment combines a regular posting with an additional responsibility. The 2010-batch IPS officer has been appointed Deputy Inspector General of Police, Training, and has also been entrusted with the additional charge of Director, Andhra Pradesh Police Academy. The academy plays a key role in the professional training and capacity building of police personnel in the state.
The dual responsibility means Gunni will oversee the training-related establishment while also handling the leadership responsibilities of APPA. The appointment comes after his suspension was revoked along with that of Tata.
Like Tata, Gunni’s reinstatement order had clarified that the revocation of suspension was without prejudice to the disciplinary and criminal proceedings pending in connection with the case.
Other IPS Officers Also Get New Assignments
The latest Andhra Pradesh police reshuffle is not limited to the two reinstated officers. Several other IPS officers have also been moved to new responsibilities as part of the government’s latest round of postings.
C.M. Thrivikram Varma, a 2005-batch IPS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, has been moved from his position as Director General of the Special Protection Force. He has now been posted as Inspector General of Police and Director of the Forensic Science Laboratory.
The change gives Varma responsibility for the state’s forensic establishment, an increasingly important component of modern criminal investigation. Forensic evidence and scientific examination have become integral to investigation and prosecution in a wide range of cases.
R. Jayalakshmi, a 2006-batch IPS officer of the Andhra Pradesh cadre, has also received a new assignment. She was serving as Director of the Anti-Corruption Bureau and has now been posted as Inspector General, CID Cyber Crimes.
The new role places her in the specialised cybercrime wing of the Crime Investigation Department at a time when digital offences and technology-enabled crimes have become a major policing challenge.
Another senior officer, B. Raja Kumari, a 2007-batch IPS officer, has been transferred from her position as IG, AP Special Police Battalions. She has now been posted as IG, Railways, and will additionally hold charge as IG, CID Women Safety.
Her new responsibilities therefore cover both railway policing and matters related to women’s safety within the CID framework. Babujee Attada, a 2011-batch IPS officer, has also been shifted.
He was serving as DIG, Greyhounds, and has now been posted as DIG, Technical Services, while continuing to hold additional charge as DIG, Greyhounds. The arrangement allows him to take charge of Technical Services while retaining his existing additional responsibility with the Greyhounds.
Three New SPs Appointed
Alongside the senior-level IPS reshuffle, the Andhra Pradesh government has also made changes at the district police leadership level by appointing new Superintendents of Police for Markapuram, Palnadu and Polavaram.
Pankaj Kumar Meena, who was serving as OSD, Polavaram, has been appointed SP, Markapuram. His move gives him the responsibility of leading the police administration in the newly assigned district. Jagadeesh Adahalli has been appointed SP, Palnadu, taking charge of the district police setup there.
Meanwhile, K. Chakravathi, who was serving as SP, CID, has been transferred and posted as SP, Polavaram. The three district-level appointments complete another important part of the latest police reshuffle and bring fresh leadership to the respective districts.
Fresh Postings Follow Suspension Revocation
The latest orders come against the backdrop of the Andhra Pradesh government’s decision to revoke the suspensions of Kanthi Rana Tata and Vishal Gunni earlier in September. The two officers had been under suspension since 2024 in connection with the Kadambari Jethwani case and had remained without regular assignments after their reinstatement.
Their return to active service and subsequent posting orders now give both officers defined responsibilities within the state police structure. At the same time, the government’s reinstatement orders made it clear that the revocation of suspension should not be interpreted as affecting the disciplinary or criminal proceedings pending against them.
The latest reshuffle, therefore, combines the fresh deployment of the two reinstated officers with a wider reorganisation of responsibilities across the Andhra Pradesh Police. From traffic management and police training to forensic science, cybercrime, railways, women’s safety and technical services, the changes cover several specialised areas of the state police administration.
With new district SPs also being appointed for Markapuram, Palnadu and Polavaram, the government has simultaneously altered leadership at both senior headquarters and district levels. The orders are expected to bring the concerned officers into their new responsibilities following the completion of the necessary administrative formalities.
