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Among the most prominent officers due to retire is Anurag Rastogi, the Chief Secretary of Haryana, who has been granted a one-year extension and is now scheduled to retire on June 30. Other key names include Arun Kumar Gupta, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, retiring on September 30, and former DGP Shatrujeet Singh Kapur (1990 batch), who will superannuate on October 31.

Chandigarh: As many as 17 senior officers, including 13 IAS and four IPS officers, are set to retire from the Haryana Government in 2026, a development expected to strain an already stretched bureaucracy, further struggling with acute staff shortages.

Among the most prominent officers due to retire is Anurag Rastogi, the Chief Secretary of Haryana, who has been granted a one-year extension and is now scheduled to retire on June 30. Other key names include Arun Kumar Gupta, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, retiring on September 30, and former DGP Shatrujeet Singh Kapur (1990 batch), who will superannuate on October 31. Kapur is currently serving as Chairman of the Haryana Police Housing Corporation.

IPS Officers Due for Superannuation

The four IPS officers scheduled to retire this year are:

• Sanjeev Kumar Jain (1991 batch) – September 30

• Hardeep Singh Doon (1998 batch) – May 31

• Dr Rajshree Singh (1999 batch) – July 31

Senior IAS Officers on Retirement List

Among the senior-most IAS officers retiring in 2026 are:

• Sudhir Rajpal (1990 batch)

• Raja Shekhar Vundru (1990 batch), Additional Chief Secretary – July 31

• Abhilaksh Likhi (1991 batch), currently Secretary to the Government of India – November 30

• D Suresh (1995 batch), Principal Secretary – August 31

Other IAS officers retiring this year include Mukesh Kumar Ahuja (March 31), Jasbir Arya (April 30), Virender Lather (April 30), Pradeep Kumar (June 30), Anita Yadav (September 30), Sanjay Joon (October 31) and Geeta Bharti (November 30).

Shortage of Hands Already Acute

The impending retirements come at a time when Haryana is already grappling with a significant shortage of IAS officers. The state has a sanctioned IAS cadre strength of 225, but only 183 officers are currently in service, resulting in a shortfall of 42.

Compounding the problem, at least 12 IAS officers of the Haryana cadre are currently on deputation with the Central Government. These include V Umashankar and Abhilaksh Likhi (1991 batch); Deepti Umashankar, Sukriti Likhi and Neerja Shekhar (1993 batch); Nitin Kumar Yadav (2000 batch); Vikas Gupta and Pankaj Yadav (2001 batch); Nikhil Gajraj (2008 batch); Sharandeep Kaur Brar (2009 batch); and Dr Garima Mittal (2010 batch).

IAS officer Ramesh Chandra Bidhan (2005 batch) retired on December 31, 2025.

Impact on Governance

“Although Haryana has recently received six new IAS officers, the retirement of 13 IAS officers in a single year will inevitably impact administrative functioning,” a senior officer said. He added that several senior IAS officers are currently handling multiple departments, in some cases three to four portfolios simultaneously, due to the shortage.

As per service rules, 67 per cent of IAS posts are filled through direct recruitment and 33 per cent through promotion. Accordingly, 66 IAS posts in Haryana are earmarked for promotion, but despite the acute shortage, several promotion-quota posts remain vacant. An officer of the Haryana Civil Service (HCS) becomes eligible for promotion to the IAS after completing eight years of service with at least five years of good Annual Confidential Reports (ACRs).

With a wave of retirements looming and vacancies persisting, senior officials warn that administrative pressure is likely to intensify unless promotions and cadre strengthening measures are expedited.