1995 batch divided, only two senior officers to be promoted to ACS

Jaipur: In a development in Rajasthan’s IAS cadre, two senior officers of the 1995 batch, Ashwini Bhagat and Kunji Lal Meena, will not be promoted to the rank of Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) on January 1, as per reliable sources. In contrast, their batchmates Praveen Gupta and Bhaskar Atmaram Sawant will be promoted on the first day of the new year. This marks the first time in the state’s IAS history that half the officers of the same batch will receive promotions, while the other half will remain in their current positions.

The 1995 IAS batch includes five officers: Praveen Gupta, Bhaskar A Sawant, Rajeev Singh Thakur, Ashwini Bhagat, and Kunji Lal Meena. However, Rajeev Singh Thakur is on deputation at the central government, leaving the remaining four officers in Jaipur eligible for promotion.

Despite this, only two officers, the most senior in the batch, Praveen Gupta and Bhaskar A Sawant, will be promoted, due to a limited number of available posts. The central government has approved a total of 7 senior-most posts in the Apex scale at the ACS level for Rajasthan, and the state can create an equivalent number of excadre posts. Thus, only 14 ACS-level positions are available, of which 12 are already filled, leaving a vacancy for only two additional promotions.

Administrative experts note that this is the first time the same batch is being split for promotions, as historically, entire batches have been promoted, often bypassing vacancy rules. In 2017, both the 1986 and 1987 batches were promoted together, and in 2018, the 1988 and 1989 batches saw similar treatment. These promotions occurred without vacancies, as the then governments opted to sideline the regulations.

This year marks a shift, as the new government is adhering to the rules, and no exceptions are being made. Furthermore, experts are concerned that no vacancies will arise in 2025, as no ACS-level officers are due for retirement, and no transfers to the Centre are anticipated. If the Department of Personnel (DoP) continues to prioritize regulations, the “no vacancy” situation may persist into January 2026, leaving officers like Ashwini Bhagat and Kunji Lal Meena, as well as the four Principal Secretaries from the 1996 batch, without promotions.