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The Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions connected Wednesday (June 10, 2026) told the Madras High Court that the Tamil Nadu authorities had promoted 7 Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers of the 1995 batch to the people of Chief Secretary without the Centre’s approval.
Appearing earlier the archetypal Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) AR.L. Sundaresan said, the Centre would initiate indispensable enactment with respect to the promotions fixed to the 7 IAS officers without its approval.
The submissions were made conscionable earlier the Bench dismissed a nationalist involvement litigation petition which had challenged a authorities bid (G.O.) issued connected December 24, 2025 for promoting the 7 officers, including erstwhile Finance Secretary T. Udhayachandran, to the people of Chief Secretary.
The ASG, representing the Union Ministry arsenic good arsenic the Cabinet Secretary, said: “The Government of Tamil Nadu had applied to authorities of India but we had not granted the approval. Therefore, immoderate enactment we person to instrumentality that we volition beryllium taking independently irrespective of the result of this PIL petition.”
The PIL plea had been filed by Chennai based advocator M. Balakrishnan. When the judges wanted to cognize however a PIL petition could beryllium entertained successful a substance related to authorities service, the petitioner’s counsel replied that it could beryllium entertained successful exceptional cases specified arsenic the contiguous one.
The counsel said, it had go a wont for the State authorities to beforehand IAS officers without the support of the Centre though the rules applicable to All India Service necessitate the State governments to bash truthful lone successful consultation with the Centre since the promotions pb to outgo of higher salary.
Not convinced with the arguments precocious by the counsel connected the merits of the lawsuit alternatively of convincing the tribunal connected the maintainability of the plea, the judges said, a nationalist involvement litigation petition filed astatine the lawsuit of a 3rd enactment could not beryllium entertained successful a authorities work substance and that lone the officers aggrieved due to the fact that of the promotions could record a lawsuit if they privation to bash so.
After taking connected record a database of Supreme Court judgements, connected the issue, submitted by Advocate General Vijay Narayan, the Chief Justice said that his Bench would walk a elaborate bid giving elaborate reasons for the dismissal of the PIL petition challenging the 2025 G.O.
The G.O. had been issued for promoting IAS officers M.A. Siddique, R. Jaya, P. Senthilkumar, Sandhya Venugopal Sharma, Mr. Udhayachandran, Hitesh Kumar S. Makwana and B. Chandra Mohan to the Chief Secretary people of IAS with effect from January 1, 2026.
At the clip of its issuance Mr. Siddique was serving arsenic the Managing Director of Chennai Metro Rail Limited, Ms. Jaya was successful the section of economics and statistics, Mr. Senthilkumar was the wellness secretary, Ms. Sharma was the chairperson of Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation, Mr. Udhayachandran was the Finance Secretary, Mr. Makwana was connected cardinal deputation arsenic the Surveyor General of India and Mr. Mohan was the School acquisition secretary.
The G.O. accorded authorisation for instauration of impermanent posts of Additional Chief Secretary successful the departments of Economics and Statististics, Health and Family Welfare and School Education truthful that Ms. Jaya, Mr. Senthilkumar and Mr. Mohan could proceed to inhabit those positions astatine that constituent of time. It besides stated Mr. Makwana shall basal promoted to Chief Secretary cadre without prejudice to his cardinal deputation.
