Somesh Kumar reports for duty in AP, meets CM YS Jagan

AMARAVATI: Senior IAS officer and former Telangana Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar on Thursday met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy as part of a courtesy call at the latter’s residence cum camp office in Tadepalli.

The senior bureaucrat, who was relieved as Telangana CS following a High Court order upholding his allotment to the Andhra Pradesh cadre, arrived at the Gannavaram Airport in Vijayawada from Hyderabad in the morning. Later, he called on Andhra Pradesh Special Chief Secretary K S Jawahar Reddy at the latter’s camp office in Vijayawada before reporting for duty to the Andhra Pradesh Government.

Contrary to speculations in the media, Somesh Kumar expressed his willingness to take up any responsibility assigned to him in Andhra Pradesh regardless of the position and capacity. Speaking to the media earlier upon his arrival at the Gannavaram airport, the senior IAS officer said that he was here to comply with the directives of the Central Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), asking him to report for duties in Andhra Pradesh.

On the question of his speculated plans for early, premature retirement through VRS, he said that he would take a call on that after discussing it with his family.

Life seemed to have turned on its head for Somesh Kumar, who, until two days ago, served as the Special Chief Secretary of the Telangana Government for the last three years. He was relieved from his responsibility with the Telangana Government on Tuesday by the DoPT, within hours of the Telangana High Court overturning a tribunal verdict on his cadre allotment and asking him to report to the Andhra Pradesh Government before Thursday (January 12).

At the time of the formation of a separate Telangana by bifurcating Andhra Pradesh, Somesh Kumar was originally allotted to the AP cadre. However, following an appeal, the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) ordered his allotment to Telangana. Contesting this, the Union Government filed a writ petition in the Telangana High Court in 2017.

After hearing the arguments of both sides on the petition, the High Court has recently struck down the CAT directives on Somesh Kumar’s cadre allotment and asked the senior IAS officer to report in Andhra Pradesh immediately. It also turned down the request made by the counsel of the bureaucrat seeking three weeks’ time and set January 12 as the deadline for him to report to duties in the neighbouring state. Within hours of the Telangana High Court order, the DoPT issued directives asking Somesh Kumar to report for duty in Andhra Pradesh.

Following the development, the Telangana Government on Wednesday appointed Santhi Kumari as the new Chief Secretary.