In a significant development, the Union government has formally informed the Himachal Pradesh High Court that the service extension granted to a government officer is limited to a maximum period of six months, in accordance with the established regulations.
This submission was made during the court’s ongoing examination of the extension provided to the Chief Secretary of Himachal Pradesh, Prabodh Saxena, an Indian Administrative Service officer from the 1990 batch, who is currently facing allegations associated with the INX Media scam.
The Additional Solicitor General, S D Sanjay, presented this information before a division bench led by Chief Justice G S Sandhawalia and Justice Ranjan Sharma. He clarified that under Rule 16(1) of the All India Services (Death-cum-Retirement Benefit) Rules, 1958, no extension beyond six months is permitted. This statement directly addresses the request made by the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister, Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who had sought a one-year extension for Mr. Saxena, emphasizing his critical involvement in the execution of several major public interest projects within the state.
ASG Sanjay further emphasized that while the Chief Minister had recommended a longer tenure for the officer, the competent authority had approved only a six-month extension, which represents the maximum duration allowable under the law.
The order dated March 28, 2025, which grants Chief Secretary Saxena a service extension until September 30, 2025, is currently being challenged through a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Atul Sharma. The PIL contends that vigilance clearance should not be provided to an officer who is facing corruption charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act. It specifically references Mr. Saxena’s involvement in the INX Media scam case, for which he has been chargesheeted.
The bench is carefully reviewing whether the granted extension is in violation of the Central Service Rules and the guidelines issued by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT). Mr. Saxena, an IAS officer of the 1990 Himachal Pradesh cadre, was originally scheduled to retire on March 31, 2025, but received an extension for six months just three days prior to his retirement date.
