Haryana: Questions raised over appointment of IPS officer as principal secretary

CHANDIGARH: A day after additional director general of police (ADGP)-rank officer O P Singh become first Indian Police Service (IPS) officer to take over the as principal secretary of Haryana's department of sports and youth affairs, his posting was questioned for being "against the civil service rules".
The posting of an IPS on this post, which is meant for a senior Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, has also raised the issue of "supremacy" of IAS over the IPS officers.

While questioning the decision to appoint Singh on principal secretary's post, senior Haryana cadre IAS officer Ashok Khemka has sought the intervention of chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar submitting that such "illegal and bad precedent" would destroy the constitutional institution of all India services.
In a letter to CM on Friday, Khemka said IAS is the top choice of aspirants and "those who could not enter IAS though the UPSC cannot hold a cadre post of the IAS through the back door".
Khemka also said there was no vacancy of principal secretary. Against a total of 12 sanctioned posts of principal secretaries, 16 officers as principal secretary are available in the state.