Manipur President’s Rule up for extension in Parliament, Govt sends a new Chief Secretary
Former Chief Secretary Prashant Kumar Singh had been transferred to this post shortly before the imposition of President’s Rule in January this year
IAS officer Puneet Kumar Goel (Photo: Puneet Kumar Goel/ LinkedIn) 
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In what insiders termed a significant bureaucratic move, the Centre has posted 1991-batch AGMUT, or central cadre, IAS officer Puneet Kumar Goel as the chief secretary of Manipur.
BJP sources said the move, which is said to be part of an ongoing and significant gubernatorial and bureaucratic overhaul, was aligned with “possible legislative business related to the state of Manipur” and likely to entail an extension of the ongoing President’s Rule there during the upcoming Monsoon Session.
Manipur is under President’s Rule following ethnic Meitei-Kuki clashes in May 2023, which were followed by N Biren Singh’s resignation as chief minister in February 2025.
The former chief secretary, Prashant Kumar Singh, had been transferred to this post shortly before the imposition of President’s Rule, in January this year, and has been in charge of the civilian administration in the state along with Governor Ajay Bhalla.
Goel’s appointment comes amidst a political stalemate in the state, with the elected Meitei and Naga NDA MLAs pushing for the restoration of a popular government in the state while the Centre does not seem to be inclined towards that. There is also a stalemate in talks between Meitei and Kuki-Zo representatives on a way forward.
A career bureaucrat who served in various capacities across significant bodies such as the Delhi Jal Board, the Delhi transport department, the South Delhi Municipal Corporation, the power and SC/ST/OBC sectors at the Centre, and as chief secretary of Goa, Goel was moved to the Manipur state cadre following approval from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-chaired Appointments Committee of the Cabinet.
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Goel was posted as secretary, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes, at the end of his tenure as Goa chief secretary after serving in the post between February 2022 and October 2024. He will serve under Governor Bhalla, the former home secretary of India, who remained in that post for five years from 2019 till his appointment in the formerly BJP-ruled state in December last year.
Towards the end of his tenure as Goa chief secretary, Goel had fielded, and denied in an affidavit to the Bombay High Court allegations of abusing his position in changing the zone of a property he eventually bought. He had told the court that the file in question was among “more than 700” signed by him in March 2024.
In late May, a group of 10 NDA MLAs had called on Governor Bhalla to press for the formation of “a popular government” in the state, claiming the support of 44 legislators, including seven from the BJP and three from its state ally, the National People’s Party (NPP), and an Independent.
(With inputs from ENS, Guwahati)
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