Badlapur assault fallout: State appoints Chahal as addl chief secy, home

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Thursday appointed I S Chahal, a 1989 batch IAS officer, as the additional chief secretary of the home department. Chahal, who currently serves as additional chief secretary in the Chief Minister’s secretariat, previously held the position of municipal commissioner of Mumbai.
The appointment comes amidst growing criticism of the home department’s performance, particularly in light of recent atrocities against young girls in Badlapur.
The role of home secretary was previously held by Sujata Saunik, who was appointed chief secretary on 30 June. Following her promotion, Saunik continued to oversee the home department and administrative reforms as additional chief secretary.
The home secretary is responsible for supervising the work of the police department.
Several candidates were considered for the position of additional chief secretary (home). Chief Minister Eknath Shinde favoured Chahal, while Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who also serves as home minister, had other candidates in mind. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) advocated for Manisha Mhaiskar, the additional chief secretary of the Public Works Department, to assume the role. However, Mhaiskar’s 1992 batch status posed a potential issue, given that the Director General of Police, Rashmi Shukla, is from the 1988 batch, and Police Commissioner Vivek Phansalkar is from the 1989 batch.
The government also contemplated appointing V Radha from the General Administration Department as additional chief secretary. However, concerns were raised about her seniority, as she belongs to the 1994 batch.
Government sources indicated that the home department required dedicated leadership, leading to Chahal’s appointment. “Had we not appointed someone now, the Election Commission would have assigned a regular officer once the code of conduct was enforced,” said a senior IAS officer.
The Chief Minister’s office currently houses two senior IAS officers. The second officer, Vikas Kharge of the 1994 batch, was recently promoted to additional chief secretary.
Chahal is set to retire in 2026 and could potentially succeed Saunik as chief secretary. Saunik may apply for the state election commissioner post, which becomes vacant next month. If selected, Chahal could assume her role. Otherwise, he would need to wait until her retirement in June 2025.