(PTI)

The Andhra Pradesh government on Monday promoted a senior bureaucrat to the rank of Special Chief Secretary, less than two months after she was elevated to Principal Secretary. The Government Order issued by Chief Secretary Aditya Nath Das said the promotion of the 1988 batch officer Y Srilakshmi was on an 'ad hoc basis'.

Srilakshmi has been facing criminal proceedings in the Obulapuramu Mining case and spent several months in jail.

The Telangana government did not grant her promotion because of this, but the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy regime gave her double promotions, even as speculation was rife that she would be made the state Chief Secretary after the incumbent retires from service in a few months.

She will be in service till June 30, 2026.

Srilakshmi, who joined the Andhra Pradesh cadre from Telangana late last year on an order of the Central Administrative Tribunal, was promoted to the rank of Principal Secretary only on January 18 this year.

This was reported without approval from the Union Department of Personnel and Training.

The Chief Secretary had in the January 18 order specified that Srilakshmis promotion was "subject to the outcome of all the court cases that are pending against her". However, the latest order made no mention of this, except that her promotion was on an ad hoc basis.

According to the Indian Administrative Service Promotion to various grades rules, "Unlike Central Government servants, ad hoc promotions are not to be allowed in their cases even if the disciplinary cases/criminal prosecutions instituted against them are found to have been prolonged. "As the appointment of the members of the Indian Administrative Service to various grades is made on a regular basis and the provision of one-time confirmation exists in their cases, the concept of the grant of ad hoc promotion is alien to them.

In their cases, only a three-monthly review of their disciplinary/criminal cases is to be undertaken and efforts are to be made to expedite their completion," the relevant rule says.

In the Screening Committee meeting last month, to consider the promotion of IAS officers to the Fixed Grade (Special Chief Secretary), the senior-most member Reddy Subrahmanyam, the 1985-batch IAS officer of AP cadre, now a Secretary to the Government of India, objected to the promotion of Srilakshmi.

The pending criminal case apart, Subrahmanyam contended that she had not put in the requisite five-year service as Principal Secretary.

His objection was not taken note of and he was called back to the state service.

The Prime Ministers Office, however, refused to repatriate the officer. But the state government promoted Srilakshmi, along with four officers of the 1991 batch.

AP Solar Power Corporation Chairman and Managing Director G Sai Prasad, Housing Department Principal Secretary Ajay Jain, and Commissioner of Inquiries Ram Prakash Sisodia were promoted to the rank of Special CS and retained in the same posts.

Sumita Dawra, currently on deputation to the Centre, has been granted promotion on a proforma basis, according to the Chief Secretarys order.