Telangana High Court Refuses Stay on AP Cadre IAS Officers' Transfers

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court has delivered a setback to Andhra Pradesh cadre IAS officers who sought judicial intervention against the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) ruling.

The High Court on Wednesday said it could not interfere in such matters and emphasised that appointments of civil servants could not be disputed. The Court refused to stay the transfer orders and directed the officers to first report to their new posts before any further hearings.

The High Court also made it clear that only after they comply with the transfer orders and report to their designated States, the petitions would be reviewed.

The Court further elaborated that it is not in a position to make decisions unless the officers report to their new assignments. It reiterated that IAS officers are appointed for public service, and they must serve wherever they are assigned.

The Bench added that approaching the courts after the tribunal's rejection is not appropriate in such matters. While the court agreed to hear the arguments, it stressed that no immediate intervention would be made.

Recently, several IAS officers transferred by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT)—including Ronald Rose, Srujana, Sivashankar, Harikiran, Amrapali, Vakati Karuna, and Vaniprasad—filed a lunch motion petition with the High Court. This petition came after the CAT rejected their plea to stay their transfers.

Representing the IAS officers, their counsel argued that they are challenging the CAT's verdict and had requested the court to review the CAT’s order. However, as the CAT's order copy has not yet been issued, they informed the court about the tribunal's admittance of the officers' petitions. The next hearing at CAT is scheduled for November 4, and the IAS counsel requested that the officers not be relieved from their current duties until then.