Four IAS officers challenge Andhra Pradesh cadre allocation in CAT

HYDERABAD: Four IAS officers from the Telangana cadre have approached the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT), challenging the Department of Personnel and Training’s (DoPT) decision to allocate them to the Andhra Pradesh cadre.

The officers - Vakati Karuna, Vani Prasad, Amrapali, and Srujana - filed separate petitions on Monday, seeking to nullify the DoPT's orders and to continue serving in Telangana.

The DoPT had recently issued directives for the officers to immediately report for duty in Andhra Pradesh. However, the officers objected to this reallocation and have requested that they remain with the Telangana cadre.

Their petitions are scheduled for hearing in CAT on Tuesday. The issue stems from the cadre restructuring that took place following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014, where the Central Government reallocated IAS and IPS officers between the newly formed states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

The officers argue that they should be recognised under the Telangana cadre, citing various reasons in their petitions. In earlier rulings, CAT had taken their concerns into consideration, but the DoPT had challenged this decision in the Telangana High Court. In March 2023, the High Court directed the Central Government to review the officers’ requests.

Following this, the Centre constituted a one-member commission headed by Deepak Khandekar on March 21, 2023, to examine the matter. After reviewing the officers' objections, the commission rejected their pleas, leading to the recent DoPT order reaffirming their allocation to the Andhra Pradesh cadre.

The DoPT has instructed the officers to report to Andhra Pradesh by October 16. However, the officers, contesting this decision, have sought CAT’s intervention once again.