Promotion of Seven IAS Officers to Chief Secretary Grade Challenged in Court

A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Madras High Court challenging a government order (G.O.) issued on December 24, 2025, which promoted seven IAS officers, including T. Udhayachandran, to the Chief Secretary grade. The First Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan, has adjourned the hearing to June 10, 2026, after questioning the validity of entertaining a PIL on matters concerning government service officers. The judges referenced a series of Supreme Court decisions, starting with Dr. Duryodhan Sahu versus Jintendra Kumar (1998), which established that such matters should not be raised through PILs in constitutional courts. They suggested that issues related to government service should be addressed through the Central Administrative Tribunal or writ petitions before a single judge of the High Court. The petitioner, M. Balakrishnan from Anna Nagar, contends that the G.O. was issued without the necessary concurrence from the Centre. He has named the Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, and the Union Cabinet Secretary as respondents. Balakrishnan seeks to prevent the Principal Accountant General’s office in Tamil Nadu from disbursing higher salaries and benefits to the officers based on the contested G.O. The G.O. also sanctioned the creation of temporary Additional Chief Secretary posts in various departments to accommodate some of the promoted officers.