NEW DELHI—The Indian government has approved one-year extensions in service for Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan and Home Secretary Govind Mohan, allowing the country's two senior-most civil servants to continue in office beyond the completion of their fixed two-year tenures later this month, according to official orders issued by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
The decision extends the tenures of Somanathan, the government's top bureaucrat, and Mohan, who heads the Ministry of Home Affairs' administrative machinery, by one year in what officials said was a move to ensure continuity in key administrative positions.
The extensions were approved under provisions that permit the central government to retain incumbents in specified senior posts in the public interest beyond the normal age of retirement and fixed tenure, subject to prescribed limits.
Somanathan, a 1987-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, assumed office as Cabinet Secretary in August 2024 after serving as Finance Secretary. As Cabinet Secretary, he coordinates among ministries and departments and serves as the senior-most civil servant in the Union government.
Govind Mohan, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the Sikkim cadre, took charge as Home Secretary in August 2024 after holding senior positions in the Union government, including in the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Culture. The Home Secretary oversees the administrative functioning of the home ministry, which is responsible for internal security, border management, disaster response and relations with states on law and order matters.
The two officials were due to complete their fixed two-year terms this month. Their extensions represent the first such one-year continuation granted to each of them in their current positions, according to media reports citing the government orders.
The Centre has in recent years used provisions under the All India Services rules and related service regulations to extend the tenures of selected senior officials occupying critical positions, citing public interest and the need for administrative continuity. Those provisions specify the posts eligible for such extensions and prescribe maximum permissible periods of service beyond retirement.
The government had not announced any further administrative changes related to the two appointments as of Thursday, and both officials are set to continue in their respective roles for the additional one-year period approved by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
