The Telangana High Court on Wednesday ruled against a group of IAS officers who sought a temporary suspension of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) orders that required them to report for duty in Andhra Pradesh. This decision follows a contentious issue stemming from the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, which initially saw these officers assigned to the newly formed state.
These officers, part of the All India Services (AIS), were originally allocated to Andhra Pradesh during the 2014 state division but had been serving in Telangana due to prior favorable rulings from the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). The recent shift in directive from the Centre, which effectively reversed the CAT’s earlier decision, prompted the officers to seek judicial relief.
The Centre had revisited the issue, urging compliance with the original allocations after reviewing the officers’ representations as per applicable guidelines. The move aimed to address administrative needs and balance officer distributions between the two states.
The officers approached the Telangana High Court following a refusal from the Central Administrative Tribunal-Hyderabad Branch to stay the DoPT’s decision. They requested the court to issue an interim order that would halt the enforcement of the DoPT’s directive pending a full hearing.
