New Delhi : The Union Home Ministry on Tuesday appointed Manish Kumar Gupta (IAS: 1991: AGMUT) to the post of Principal Secretary (Home), Govt of NCT of Delhi. The post had fallen last week after Ashwani Kumar (IAS: 1992: AGMUT) was appointed Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation Delhi (MCD).
The Ministry of Home Affairs Tuesday appointed 1991-batch AGMUT cadre officer Manish Kumar Gupta Principal Secretary (Home) — a post that holds immense significance in Delhi’s administration in the current scenario where the Capital has dual power centres.
The post was held earlier by 1992-batch officer Ashwani Kumar, who was transferred to the MCD as Commissioner on June 18. Sources said Gupta’s transfer was one in a series of crucial transfers and postings in the AGMUT cadre that were likely to be affected by the Centre over the coming days.
Principal Secretary (Home) is one of the two posts in addition to the Chief Secretary of Delhi reserved for Centre-appointed bureaucrats on the three-member National Capital Civil Services Authority that was created following the enactment of the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Act, 2023. The body, which is chaired by the Delhi CM, has the power to recommend transfer, posting and vigilance matters related to all IAS and DANICS officers in the Capital. However, given its composition, IAS officers appointed directly by the Centre hold more sway in it compared to its Chairperson.
Gupta, 57, was posted as Additional Chief Secretary Government, Land & Buildings, Industries & Labour Department in Delhi. According to sources, the MHA was likely to affect a significant bureaucratic reshuffle over the coming days across key departments in one of the last exercises of its kind before the 2025 Delhi Assembly polls.
