Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has suspended the Union Ministry of Home Affairs’ (MHA) directive transferring senior IPS officer Abhilasha Bisht to Andhra Pradesh, allowing her to continue serving in Telangana until the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) rules on her petition challenging the transfer.
A bench of Justice P Sam Koshy and Justice Narsing Rao Nandikonda found that Abhilasha had prima facie grounds to contest the 2014 cadre allotment, which she claims was based on an erroneous fixation of seniority.
The court directed both central and state authorities to maintain the status quo, emphasising that “the officer cannot be made to suffer in the interregnum period before her contention on seniority is adjudicated by the CAT.”
The bench also noted that the state government failed to explain the anomaly in Abhilasha’s seniority during the bifurcation, nor could it clarify why her name was moved below others in the 2014 seniority list, despite her prior seniority among officers transferred on personal grounds such as marriage.
Abhilasha allotted AP during 2014 bifurcation
Abhilasha, a 1994 batch IPS officer, was originally allotted to Andhra Pradesh during the 2014 bifurcation, despite opting for Telangana.
She continued serving in Telangana for a decade under CAT’s interim protection. In January 2025, the MHA issued a fresh order transferring her to Andhra Pradesh, which she challenged before the CAT. The tribunal, however, refused interim relief but assured a speedy decision on her main petition.
The High Court observed that her demotion in the seniority list was unsupported by the IPS Seniority Rules, 1988, and appeared to result from unfair interference.
The bench reiterated that Abhilasha should not be penalised while the matter is sub judice, but clarified that the CAT will decide the issue independently, without being influenced by the High Court’s interim observations.
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