CBDT Assigns Additional Charges to Pallavi Agarwal and Sunil Kumar Singh Following Retirement of Two Senior IRS Officers
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has redistributed key responsibilities among its serving Members following the superannuation of senior IRS officers Pankaj Kumar Mishra and Sanjay Bahadur. While 1991-batch IRS officer Pallavi Agarwal has been given additional charge of Member (Administration) and the West Zone, 1992-batch officer Sunil Kumar Singh will additionally oversee Member (Income Tax) responsibilities and four southern states.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has assigned additional portfolios to two of its serving Members following the retirement of senior Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers Pankaj Kumar Mishra and Sanjay Bahadur on November 5, 2026.
Under the revised administrative arrangement, Pallavi Agarwal, currently Member (Taxpayer Services and Revenue), has been entrusted with the additional responsibility of Member (Administration). She will also oversee the West Zone, covering Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur.
Similarly, Sunil Kumar Singh, Member (Systems and Faceless Schemes), has been assigned the additional charge of Member (Income Tax). His expanded zonal responsibilities will include Karnataka and Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Both officers will discharge their newly assigned responsibilities alongside their existing portfolios, ensuring continuity in the functioning of the CBDT.
Pallavi Agarwal Gets Additional Charge of Member (Administration)
Pallavi Agarwal is a 1991-batch IRS officer currently serving as Member (Taxpayer Services and Revenue) in the CBDT. Following the superannuation of Pankaj Kumar Mishra, she has been entrusted with the additional responsibility of Member (Administration), along with oversight of the West Zone, covering Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur.
With more than three decades of experience in income tax administration and central government assignments, Agarwal has held several important positions during her career.
Before joining the CBDT as a Member, she served as Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (Exemptions) in Delhi and also held the position of Chief Commissioner of Income Tax.
Her previous assignments include serving as Additional Director General in the Directorate of Vigilance. During her central deputation, she worked as Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Women and Child Development and as Member Secretary of the National Monuments Authority.
Agarwal holds a master’s degree in English Literature. Her additional responsibilities will place her in charge of important administrative functions within the CBDT, while she continues to oversee taxpayer services and revenue-related matters.
Sunil Kumar Singh Assigned Additional Charge of Member (Income Tax)
Sunil Kumar Singh, a 1992-batch IRS officer, is currently serving as Member (Systems and Faceless Schemes) in the CBDT. Following the retirement of Sanjay Bahadur, Singh has been assigned the additional responsibility of Member (Income Tax).
Alongside this portfolio, he will oversee the department’s zonal responsibilities covering Karnataka and Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. In his existing capacity as Member (Systems and Faceless Schemes), Singh handles important aspects of the Income Tax Department’s technological infrastructure, digital tax administration and faceless assessment framework.
Before his elevation to the CBDT, he served as Director General of Income Tax (Investigation) in Ahmedabad, where he handled significant responsibilities relating to tax investigations and enforcement.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) approved his appointment as a CBDT Member in August 2026. His expanded responsibilities will now bring the Income Tax portfolio and supervision of four southern states under his additional charge.
Changes Follow Retirement of Two Senior IRS Officers
The redistribution of responsibilities follows the retirement of two 1989-batch IRS officers who were heading important portfolios in the CBDT. Pankaj Kumar Mishra, who superannuated on November 5, 2026, was serving as Member (Administration). His responsibilities included key administrative functions relating to human resource development, training and vigilance.
Sanjay Bahadur, who also retired on the same date, was serving as Member (Income Tax). His portfolio included supervision of the Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (Exemptions), along with zonal oversight of Karnataka and Goa, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
With Agarwal and Singh taking over the additional portfolios, the CBDT has undertaken an interim redistribution of responsibilities among its serving Members to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of its administrative and operational wings.
The latest arrangement places additional responsibilities on two experienced IRS officers at a time when the department continues to focus on strengthening tax administration, improving taxpayer services and expanding technology-driven assessment mechanisms.
