Officiating appointments to top posts: Himachal Guv seeks explanation from chief secretary

The development follows a representation made by an RTI activist, Dev Ashish Bhattacharya, who raised objections over what he termed the “growing ad-hocism” in the state administration due to prolonged officiating appointments in crucial posts.

Following the superannuation of Prabodh Saxena as chief secretary on September 1, 2025, Gupta, a 1988-batch IAS officer, was given the additional charge of Chief Secretary. Similarly, 1993-batch IPS officer Ashok Tewari has been holding the additional charge of Director General of Police (DGP) since June 2, 2025, following the retirement of Atul Verma. In the forest department, 1993-batch IFS officer Sanjay Sood was given the officiating charge of Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) on August 11, 2025. Meanwhile, Pravin Kumar Gupta continues to hold the additional charge of Member Secretary, Himachal Pradesh Pollution Control Board (HPPCB) — a post traditionally held by a senior IAS or IFS officer, as per the state government’s own notification dated April 18, 2022.

When contacted, Gupta confirmed receiving the communication. He said, “Indeed, we have received a communication from the Raj Bhavan regarding officiating and additional charge arrangements. The matter is being looked into”.

The letter issued from the Raj Bhavan states, “Representation regarding non-regular appointments of Chief Secretary; Director General of Police (DGP); Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF); and Member Secretary, Himachal Pradesh Pollution Control Board (HPPCB). You are requested to kindly look into the matter and send your comments for the kind perusal of the Hon’ble Governor.”

Bhattacharya, who filed the complaint, said that the Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla’s office has taken cognizance of his representation highlighting the “unusual governance situation that has turned into ad-hocism.”