IAS-IPS couple opts for Gujarat cadre, government plans policy change

The case is of 2011 batch IAS officer P Parthiban from Tamil Nadu and his wife and batch mate, Tamil Nadu cadre IPS officer Nisha, who hails from Delhi. Parthiban belongs to the Union Territories cadre, that includes Delhi. The couple have sought a common cadre citing their marriage, as civil services rules allow it. The rules, however, bar any member of the service from working in his or her home state.

This case is under consideration of a committee headed by Sanjay Kothari, Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which decides on cases of inter-cadre transfer that require relaxation in existing guidelines. In its meeting held last week, the committee was informed that P Parthiban and Nisha Parthiban have mutually conveyed Gujarat as a preference for cadre change, according to minutes of the meeting of the panel. 

The committee after detailed deliberations directed that the policy for cadre transfer in such cases be put up first. The final call on the cadre allocation will be approved by the Appointments Committee of Cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.