Infamous for 'Walking with Dog' Row, Sanjeev-Rinku Khirwar Transfered. But Can IAS Couples be Separated by Miles? News18 Explains

After an uproar on the internet, the Centre shunted the IAS couple Sanjeev Khirwar and Anu Dugga to Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh respectively following media reports suggesting misuse of official position by them.

The decision was taken hours after reports stated that athletes and coaches at the Delhi’s Thyagraj Stadium said that they were being forced to end their practice before time so that the Indian Administrative Service officers could walk their dog.

In an order, the Home Ministry on Thursday said Khirwar, a 1994-batch IAS officer from AGMUT cadre, is shifted to Ladakh and his wife to Arunachal Pradesh with immediate effect. According to official sources, the home ministry had also sought a report from the Delhi Chief Secretary regarding the misuse of facilities at the Stadium by the IAS couple.

As the IAS couple have been transferred to two different states, here’s what the recent law for the Indian Civil Services couple states.

Earlier, the bureaucrats had no provision for the cases where either of the officers of the all India services-Indian Administrative Service (IAS), Indian Police Service (IPS) and Indian Forest Service (IFoS)- husband or wife can opt for the cadre of their spouse being in their respective cadre.

However, in 2017 Prime Minister Narendra Modi changed the service rules to allow married IAS and IPS officers to get same cadre state.

The new decision was made after a unique case of 2011-batch IAS officer P Parthiban, who married to his batchmate and Tamil Nadu cadre IPS officer Nisha, who hails from Delhi. Parthiban, a native of Tamil Nadu, has been allocated Union Territories cadre, that includes Delhi.

The couple had sought common cadre, citing their marriage, as civil services rules allow it. However, the rules bar any member of the service from working in his or her home state.

Thereafter a committee, a committee headed by Secretary of Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) recommended change in guidelines, which has now been approved by Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) headed by PM Narendra Modi.

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