Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi has held several key financial and administrative positions over the years. (Source: File)The Centre on Tuesday granted a six-month extension in the service of Haryana Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi on the recommendation of the state government. Rastogi, the 1990-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, will continue to hold the charge of chief secretary till December 31, 2026.Notably, this is the second extension for the officer. His previous extension was to end on June 30. Last year too, the Centre had granted a year’s extension of service to Rastogi, who was due to retire on June 30, 2025.As per a communication from Union Ministry of Personnel: “On the proposal of the Haryana government dated June 8, 2026 regarding extension of service of Rastogi, the Centre has approved it for a period of six months from July 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026 in relaxation of Rule 16 (1) of AIS (DCRB) Rules, 1958 by invoking Rule 3 of AIS (CS-RM) Rules, 1960”.The extension has dealt a major setback to the prospects of two senior IAS officers — Sumita Mishra and Sudhir Rajpal, both from the 1990 batch, who were considered leading contenders for the chief secretary’s post. Rajpal is scheduled to retire on November 30, 2026, while Mishra will retire on January 31, 2027.Apart from them, 1992-batch IAS officer Arun Kumar Gupta, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister, was also regarded as a strong contender for the post.According to top officials, the government wanted to retain Rastogi to ensure the “administrative continuity” as the biggest factor. “Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini’s government is currently in a crucial phase of its tenure, with several major digital, financial, and administrative reform initiatives underway. These include paperless registry system; e-governance projects; schemes linked to the Family Identity Card (Parivar Pehchan Patra); investment and industrial projects; and centrally sponsored development schemes. Government believes that changing the administrative leadership at this stage could affect the pace and monitoring of these initiatives,” a senior official said.Within the bureaucracy, it is widely acknowledged that Rastogi is among Saini’s most trusted officers. The government is also believed to value the strong coordination between the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) and the Chief Secretary’s Office. Notably, even when Rastogi underwent bypass surgery, his additional charge was not assigned to any other officer.Story continues below this adRastogi has held several key financial and administrative positions over the years. The state government believes that his experience in economic management and policy implementation continues to be valuable at this stage.Extension to Rastogi is also likely to halt the ongoing selection process for the post of Chief Commissioner of the Haryana Right to Service Commission (HRSC). The position is currently being held by Rastogi as an additional charge. Only an officer of the rank of Chief Secretary is eligible to become the Commission’s Chief Commissioner. Had Rastogi not received another extension, he was widely expected to be appointed to the post.