Sanjay A. Lathkar IPS Appointed Director General (Security) in Department of Atomic Energy
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved the appointment of senior 1995-batch Indian Police Service officer Sanjay A. Lathkar as Director General (Security), Department of Atomic Energy, marking his elevation to a Level-16 post at the Centre. The appointment has been approved from the date he assumes charge and will continue until his superannuation on September 30, 2028, or until further orders, whichever comes earlier.
The decision was conveyed through an order issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) under the Department of Personnel and Training on September 15, 2026. The order was issued with reference to a proposal from the Department of Atomic Energy, based on its ID Note dated June 25, 2026. According to the government order, the appointment also involves the temporary upgrading of the existing post of Inspector General (Security) in the Department of Atomic Energy from Level-14 to Level-16 for the period specified in the order.
Sanjay A. Lathkar to Head Security at Department of Atomic Energy
Sanjay A. Lathkar, an IPS officer of the Jharkhand cadre from the 1995 batch, has been serving on central deputation in the security establishment of the Department of Atomic Energy. The latest ACC decision formally places him at the level of Director General (Security), giving him charge of the department’s senior security function.
The order specifies that his appointment will remain effective from the date of assumption of charge until September 30, 2028, which is his date of superannuation, unless the government issues further orders before then. The tenure therefore links his new responsibility directly to the remaining period of his service.
The official 2026 IPS Civil List identifies Lathkar as a 1995-batch Jharkhand cadre IPS officer, with the present posting listed as ADG (Security), Department of Atomic Energy. It records his educational qualification as M.Tech. and his date of birth as September 5, 1968.
Existing Security Post Temporarily Upgraded
One of the notable elements of the ACC order is the temporary upgradation of the post attached to the assignment. The government has approved the temporary upgrading of the post of Inspector General (Security), Department of Atomic Energy, from Level-14 to Level-16 in the pay matrix.
The order makes it clear that this upgradation is being made specifically as a measure personal to the officer. In other words, the enhanced level is linked to Sanjay A. Lathkar’s appointment and is not described as a permanent restructuring of the sanctioned post itself.
The temporary upgradation will take effect from the date Lathkar joins the new post and, according to the ACC order, will remain in effect up to July 25, 2028, corresponding to the completion of the third year mentioned in the order. His appointment as Director General (Security), meanwhile, has been approved up to his superannuation on September 30, 2028, unless modified by further orders.
A Senior IPS Officer With Extensive Security Experience
Lathkar brings a long administrative and policing career to the assignment. He joined the Indian Police Service in the 1990s and belongs to the Jharkhand cadre. His official IPS records show that he was allotted the 1995 batch and that his IPS identification number is 19951011.
His career has included important operational and security-related responsibilities. The 2025 IPS Civil List had listed him as ADG, Operations, Jharkhand, while the 2026 civil list records his posting as ADG (Security), Department of Atomic Energy.
His association with the Department of Atomic Energy is not new. The official IPS appointment records show that the government appointed Sanjay A. Lathkar as Inspector General (Security), Department of Atomic Energy, on deputation basis in April 2025.
That earlier appointment is significant in understanding the latest move. Lathkar was already handling a senior security responsibility within the department, and the September 2026 ACC approval now elevates the assignment to the Director General level.
What the New Assignment Means
The Department of Atomic Energy deals with areas of national importance, including the country’s nuclear energy programme and related institutions and facilities. Security arrangements around such establishments require coordination across multiple layers of physical security, intelligence, access control, threat assessment and institutional preparedness.
The Director General (Security) position therefore sits at a senior level within the department’s security framework. While the ACC order itself focuses on the appointment, pay level and tenure, Lathkar’s previous experience in policing and his existing role within the Department of Atomic Energy provide the immediate administrative background to the decision.
The move also comes at a stage of Lathkar’s career when he has accumulated more than three decades of service-related experience. His official records show that he has held senior positions both within Jharkhand and on central deputation. The Jharkhand Police records also show that he served in several field assignments in the state earlier in his career, including as a district police chief.
Decorations and Professional Record
Lathkar’s entry in the official IPS Civil List also records several police service distinctions. These include the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service (PPMDS), 2022, along with the President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service (PMMS), 2015, and the President’s Medal (PPM), 2002, as reflected in the civil-list records.
His educational qualification is listed as M.Tech., while his service records place his date of appointment to the IPS in December 1995. The official records also identify Maharashtra as his home state.
The combination of his long policing career, senior-level operational assignments and subsequent central deputation has formed the backdrop to his latest elevation. His move from ADG-level responsibility to the Director General position represents another significant step in his central government career.
Appointment Approved by the ACC
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister, is responsible for approving several key appointments at the senior levels of the Union government. In this case, the ACC considered the Department of Atomic Energy’s proposal and approved Lathkar’s appointment as Director General (Security).
The government order specifically cites the Department of Atomic Energy’s ID Note No. 13/2/2026-CCS/7488 dated June 25, 2026. Following approval, the Department of Personnel and Training issued the formal communication dated September 15, 2026.
Copies of the order have been circulated to several senior government offices and authorities, including the Prime Minister’s Office, the office of the Home Minister and Minister of State for Personnel, the Cabinet Secretariat, the Chief Secretary of Jharkhand and the officer concerned. The order has also been marked to senior officials within the Department of Personnel and Training and the National Informatics Centre.
Tenure Linked to Superannuation
Under the approved arrangement, Lathkar will hold the post from the date he assumes charge until September 30, 2028, when he is scheduled to retire from government service, unless an earlier change is ordered.
The ACC has also specifically provided for the temporary pay-level upgradation associated with the assignment. The arrangement is described as personal to the officer, meaning the temporary elevation of the post is tied to Lathkar’s appointment rather than being presented in the order as a permanent change to the departmental post structure.
With the latest decision, Sanjay A. Lathkar now moves into one of the senior security assignments associated with the Department of Atomic Energy. His appointment adds another important central responsibility to the career of the 1995-batch Jharkhand cadre IPS officer, who has already served in senior operational and security positions at both the state and central levels.
