A.Y.V. Krishna, Venugopal N. Appointed Special Directors in CBI by ACC; Additional Director Posts Upgraded
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of two senior IPS officers, Shri A.Y.V. Krishna and Shri Venugopal N., as Special Directors in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Both officers are currently serving as Additional Directors in the premier investigating agency and will move to the Special Director grade after assuming charge of their respective posts.
According to an order issued by the Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet under the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on October 1, 2026, the appointments have been approved on a personal basis through the temporary upgrading of the existing posts of Additional Director from Level 15 to Special Director at Level 16. The arrangement will remain in force for the respective officers until their superannuation or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
A.Y.V. Krishna elevated as Special Director in CBI
Shri A.Y.V. Krishna, an IPS officer of the 1995 batch belonging to the Assam-Meghalaya cadre, has been appointed as Special Director in the CBI. Krishna is currently serving as an Additional Director in the agency and will assume the higher position from the date on which he takes charge of the post.
As per the ACC order, Krishna’s appointment as Special Director will continue until May 31, 2030, which is the date of his superannuation, or until further orders, whichever occurs earlier. The order makes it clear that the existing Additional Director post held by him will be temporarily upgraded from Level 15 to Level 16 to facilitate his appointment to the Special Director grade.
The temporary upgradation has been made as a measure personal to the officer. This means the upgraded status is linked specifically to Krishna’s appointment and does not represent a permanent restructuring or general upgradation of the sanctioned Additional Director post.
Krishna’s elevation comes as part of the latest senior-level changes approved for the CBI by the central government. The appointment places him in the Special Director grade, one of the senior positions in the agency’s organisational hierarchy, and extends his tenure in the higher grade up to his scheduled retirement date, subject to the condition mentioned in the ACC order.
Venugopal N. also gets Special Director appointment
Alongside A.Y.V. Krishna, the ACC has approved the appointment of Shri Venugopal N., IPS, as Special Director in the CBI. Venugopal N. is a 1995-batch IPS officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre and is also currently serving as an Additional Director in the agency.
Under the approved arrangement, Venugopal N. will take charge as Special Director from the date of assumption of charge. His appointment will continue until December 31, 2027, which is the date of his superannuation, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.
In his case too, the Additional Director post at Level 15 will be temporarily upgraded to the Special Director grade at Level 16. The ACC has specified that this temporary upgrading is being carried out as a measure personal to the officer.
The appointment therefore gives both senior IPS officers a formal elevation to the Special Director grade while allowing the government to make the change without permanently altering the underlying post structure.
What the ACC order says
The decision was taken on the basis of a proposal submitted by the Department of Personnel and Training. The October 1, 2026 order refers to the DoPT’s AVD Division Note No. 202/82/2026-AVD-II dated September 14, 2026.
The order states that the ACC approved the DoPT proposal for the appointment of A.Y.V. Krishna and Venugopal N. as Special Directors in the CBI. Both appointments are effective from the respective dates on which the officers assume charge of the Special Director posts.
The appointments have been approved for specified periods linked to the officers’ dates of superannuation. For Krishna, the approved period extends up to May 31, 2030, while for Venugopal N., it extends up to December 31, 2027.
The phrase “or until further orders, whichever is earlier” has also been included in both cases. This means the appointments are not necessarily guaranteed to continue until the stated retirement dates if an earlier government order alters the arrangement.
Temporary upgradation of posts at Level 16
One of the important aspects of the order is the manner in which the two appointments have been approved. Instead of permanently upgrading the posts of Additional Director, the government has temporarily upgraded the posts from Level 15 to Level 16 to accommodate the appointment of the two officers as Special Directors.
This temporary upgradation has specifically been described as a measure personal to the concerned officers. The distinction is significant because it indicates that the higher grade is attached to the individual appointments rather than constituting a blanket revision of the sanctioned strength or structure of the CBI.
For the two officers, the move means a transition from the Additional Director level to the Special Director grade. The order does not indicate any broader restructuring of the CBI’s organisational setup beyond these individual appointments.
Two senior IPS officers move to higher CBI grade
Both A.Y.V. Krishna and Venugopal N. are 1995-batch IPS officers and have been serving as Additional Directors in the CBI. Their elevation places them in the Special Director grade through separate individual arrangements approved by the ACC.
The two officers, however, have different retirement timelines. Krishna is scheduled to superannuate on May 31, 2030, while Venugopal N. is scheduled to retire on December 31, 2027. Their respective appointments as Special Directors have therefore been approved until those dates, subject to further orders.
The ACC order does not provide additional details about specific portfolios, responsibilities or changes in assignments that may follow their elevation. It primarily records the approval of their appointments and the temporary upgrading of their existing posts.
Order issued by Department of Personnel and Training
The formal communication was issued by the Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions and the Department of Personnel and Training. It was issued from New Delhi on October 1, 2026.
The order has been addressed to the Department of Personnel and Training and copies have been marked to several senior government offices and officials. These include the Prime Minister’s Office, the office of the Home Minister and the Minister of State for Personnel, the Cabinet Secretariat and concerned officials within the Department of Personnel and Training.
Copies have also been sent to the officers concerned, the Principal Staff Officer to the Secretary (Personnel), the Principal Private Secretary to the Establishment Officer, the Private Secretary to the Deputy Secretary (MM), the Senior Technical Director of the National Informatics Centre in DoPT and the concerned guard file.
The appointment order has been issued under the authority of the Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet and signed by Director Annie(s) Kanmani Joy.
What the appointments mean for the CBI
The latest decision formally places two serving Additional Directors of the CBI in the Special Director grade. Both officers will continue in their elevated positions for the approved periods, subject to any subsequent government orders.
For A.Y.V. Krishna, the arrangement provides for the Special Director appointment until May 31, 2030, while Venugopal N.’s appointment runs until December 31, 2027. In both cases, the appointments take effect from the dates on which the officers assume charge.
The ACC’s decision is therefore primarily an administrative and personnel-related order concerning two senior IPS officers. The document does not spell out any new operational mandate or specific investigation-related responsibility for either officer, and no such additional role has been stated in the order itself.
The latest appointments add another significant development to the senior leadership structure of the Central Bureau of Investigation, with two experienced 1995-batch IPS officers moving from the Additional Director level to the Special Director grade through temporary, officer-specific upgradation of their posts.
Key details at a glance:
A.Y.V. Krishna: IPS, 1995 batch, Assam-Meghalaya cadre
Current position: Additional Director, CBI
New position: Special Director, CBI
Appointment period: From assumption of charge until May 31, 2030, or until further orders, whichever is earlier
Venugopal N.: IPS, 1995 batch, Himachal Pradesh cadre
Current position: Additional Director, CBI
New position: Special Director, CBI
Appointment period: From assumption of charge until December 31, 2027, or until further orders, whichever is earlier
Post level: Additional Director Level 15 temporarily upgraded to Special Director Level 16
Nature of upgradation: Personal to the concerned officers
Approving authority: Appointments Committee of the Cabinet
Order date: October 1, 2026
Reference: DoPT AVD Division Note No. 202/82/2026-AVD-II dated September 14, 2026
The ACC’s approval thus marks the elevation of A.Y.V. Krishna and Venugopal N. to the Special Director grade in the CBI, with their appointments structured around their respective dates of superannuation and subject to further government orders.
