When love rewrites the cadre map: The growing list of IAS, IPS power couples in Haryana and Punjab

Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior officer said, “The number must be higher than 66, but such clustering is not accidental nor illegal. Inter-cadre transfers for Indian Administrative Service (IAS) and Indian Police Service (IPS) officers are governed by the All India Services (Cadre) Rules. Marriage to another IAS, IPS or Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer is a recognised ground for transfer, subject to conditions: confirmation in service, consent of both state governments, and final approval by the Centre.”

“Typically, such a transfer is allowed once in an officer’s career, balancing family unity with administrative needs. In addition, the Centre has increasingly encouraged ‘spouse posting’ within the same state even without formal cadre change, particularly for younger officers,” the officer said.

Haryana: where cadres converge

The pattern in Haryana spans three decades of service. Among the most senior couples are 1994-batch IPS officer Navdeep Singh, a Haryana native from Karnal who is currently serving as the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) with the Haryana State Enforcement Bureau and as the Director of Vigilance. His wife Kala Ramachandran, also a 1994-batch IPS officer, was originally from the Tamil Nadu cadre. She is posted as the Director of the Haryana Police Academy in Madhuban.

Another same-batch IPS pairing is that of Sandeep Khirwar (1995 batch), who is currently on central deputation, and Charu Bali, who serves as the ADGP at the Recruitment Training Centre in Bhondsi.

Younger officers reflect an even sharper trend: cadre migration after marriage. IPS officer Astha Modi (2013 batch, Haryana cadre) is married to IAS officer Parth Gupta (AGMUT cadre), who shifted to the Haryana cadre post-marriage.

IAS officer Anupama Anjali (2018 batch) moved from the Andhra Pradesh cadre to Haryana after marrying Harshit Kumar (2020 batch IAS, Haryana cadre).

Several 2019-batch officers have followed similar paths. IPS officer Himadree Kaushik (2019 batch) is married to IAS officer Ayush Sinha (2019 batch). IAS officer Renu Sogan (2019 batch) shifted from the West Bengal cadre to Haryana following her marriage to Hitesh Meena (2019 batch IAS, Haryana cadre). IAS officer Dr Balpreet Singh (2019 batch) moved from the Kerala cadre after marrying Upasana, a 2017-batch IPS officer of the Haryana cadre.

The trend intensifies among recent batches. IAS officer Shantanu Sharma (2020 batch) moved from the Assam–Meghalaya cadre to Haryana after marrying C Jayashradha (2020 batch IAS, Haryana cadre).

IAS officer Rahul Modi (2020 batch) shifted from the Tripura cadre to Haryana in September 2023. He is married to IPS officer Deepti Garg of the Haryana cadre. Most recently, IAS officer Utsav Anand (2022 batch) moved from the Uttar Pradesh cadre to Haryana after marrying his batchmate, IAS officer Anjali Shrotriya.

Among the top IAS officers, 1991-batch officer V Umashankar is married to Deepti Umashankar, while 1991-batch IAS officer Abilaksh Likhi is married to 1993-batch IAS officer Sukriti Vohra Likhi.

Similarly, IAS officer Ashima Brar (2004 batch) is married to IAS officer Mandip Singh Brar (2005 batch). And IAS officer A Sreenivas (2004 batch) is married to IAS officer Mona A Sreenivas (2006 batch).

Punjab: power couples at the helm

Punjab’s bureaucracy mirrors—and in some cases amplifies—this phenomenon, with several officer couples simultaneously occupying senior secretariat, district and police leadership positions.

At the top are Tejveer Singh (IAS, 1994 batch), who is the Additional Chief Secretary of Technical Education, and his wife Jaspreet Kaur (IAS, 1995 batch), Additional Chief Secretary of Mining and Planning. Another senior pairing is Rahul Bhandari (IAS, 1997 batch), who is Principal Secretary, Animal Husbandry, and Rakhi Gupta Bhandari (IAS, 1997 batch), who is Principal Secretary, Food Processing.

The middle and senior echelons include Ajit Balaji Joshi (IAS, 2003 batch), the Secretary of Rural Development and Taxation, who is married to Gauri Parashar (IAS, 2009 batch), Secretary, General Administration Department. Education Secretary Anindita Mitra (IAS, 2007 batch) is married to Dr S Karuna Raju (IAS, 1998 batch), currently on central deputation.

Several couples straddle state and central postings. Ajoy Sharma (IAS, 1999 batch), on central deputation, is married to Bhawna Garg (IAS, 1999 batch), who is the Principal Secretary of Jails. Kavita Singh (IAS, 2004 batch) and B Purushartha (IAS, 2002 batch) are both on central deputation, as are Adappa Kartik and Rupanjali Kartik (both IAS, 2008 batch).

District governance in Punjab today features married officers heading major districts simultaneously. Himanshu Aggarwal (IAS, 2014 batch) is the Jalandhar Deputy Commissioner (DC), while his wife Komal Mittal (IAS, 2014 batch) is the Mohali DC. Aashika Jain (IAS, 2015 batch) serves as the Hoshiarpur DC, while her husband Himanshu Jain (IAS, 2016 batch) is the Ludhiana DC.

IAS–IPS marriages are equally prominent. Girish Dayalan (IAS, 2011 batch), the Registrar of Cooperative Societies, is married to Avneet Kondal (IPS, 2012 batch), who is currently the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) in Bathinda. Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur (IPS, 2006 batch) is married to Mandeep Singh Randhawa (IPS, 2006 batch, Delhi UT cadre), currently the Director of the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways. Kapurthala SSP Gaurav Toora (IPS, 2014 batch) is married to Pathankot DC Palavi (IAS, 2015 batch).