IAS and IRS Officers Return to State Cadres as DoPT Orders Premature Repatriation of Senior Officials
The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Tuesday issued a set of official notifications announcing the premature repatriation of several senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers from their central deputation roles to their respective parent cadres. The decisions form part of regular cadre management practices followed by the Union government to balance administrative needs at the Centre and in the states.
According to the orders, the officers affected include two senior IAS officers from the Gujarat cadre and one IRS officer from the Customs and Central Excise stream, all of whom were holding important assignments at the central level.
Ms. Sandhya Bhullar, a 2003-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, has been prematurely relieved from her role as Joint Secretary in the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). She had been associated with the department’s work on industrial policy formulation, investment promotion, and regulatory reforms aimed at strengthening India’s business and trade ecosystem.
With the issuance of the DoPT order, Bhullar will now return to her parent Gujarat cadre, bringing her central deputation stint to a close ahead of the originally scheduled tenure. Her repatriation follows standard administrative procedures and does not indicate any adverse action.
Another senior officer, Mr. Lochan Sehra, a 2002-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, has also been repatriated to his parent cadre. Sehra was serving as Joint Secretary at the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) in Ahmedabad.
During his central posting, he was involved in administrative and policy oversight related to India’s rapidly expanding commercial space sector, including coordination with private players and supporting the implementation of space reforms. His premature repatriation marks the conclusion of his deputation to the space regulatory and promotion body.
In a separate notification, the DoPT ordered the repatriation of Mr. Vinit Kumar, a 2013-batch IRS officer of the Customs and Central Excise cadre. Kumar was posted as Chief Vigilance Officer (CVO) at NEPA Ltd, Nepanagar, in Madhya Pradesh.
The order specifies that his return to the parent cadre has been approved on personal grounds, thereby ending his central deputation assignment with the public sector enterprise. As CVO, Kumar was responsible for overseeing vigilance and integrity-related matters within the organization.
Routine Cadre Management Exercise
Officials familiar with the process noted that such repatriations are a regular feature of government administration. Central deputation postings are designed to provide officers with exposure to national-level policymaking, regulatory work, and public sector management. At the same time, state cadres periodically require the services of experienced officers, making repatriation an essential component of balanced cadre deployment.
The DoPT, which oversees personnel policy for All India Services and central staffing, routinely issues such orders to accommodate administrative requirements, personal considerations of officers, and evolving priorities of the government.
With these latest notifications, Sandhya Bhullar, Lochan Sehra, and Vinit Kumar will now resume duties under their respective parent cadres, while the concerned central departments and organizations are expected to make alternative arrangements for continuity of work.
