SRINAGAR: In a significant administrative development, the Jammu and Kashmir government has ordered the promotion of 28 officers belonging to the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Service (JKAS). Additionally, 19 other officers have been granted Selection Grade, marking a substantial elevation in the senior ranks of the administration.
According to details received by The Chenab Times, the General Administration Department (GAD) issued a series of government orders on Friday detailing these promotions and financial upgradations. These decisions, taken by the Council of Ministers on August 4, aim to streamline administrative functions and acknowledge the contributions of senior officers.
Under Government Order No. 1375-JK(GAD) of 2026, nine JKAS officers have been elevated to the Special Scale of the service, which corresponds to Level-13. Dr. Sunil Sharma’s promotion has been made notional with effect from May 15, 2026, and will be regularised subsequently. The remaining eight officers in this list—Zahoor Ahmad Maqray, Syed Sajad Qadri, Masarat Hashim, Sonali Arun Gupta, Atul Gupta, Ritu Mahajan, Mohammad Anwar Banday, and Dr. Mohammad Tanvir—are promoted on a prospective basis.
Following these promotions, Dr. Sunil Sharma, Sonali Arun Gupta, Ritu Mahajan, and Mohammad Anwar Banday have been designated as Special Secretaries within their respective departments. The other officers promoted to the Special Scale will continue in their current postings until further directives are issued.
In a separate government order, the GAD has promoted 18 JKAS officers to the Selection Grade (Level-12) on a prospective basis. This group includes Akhil Sadotra, Gulzar Ahmad Bhat, Mumtaz Ahmad Pir, Rachna Sharma, Reyaz Ahmad Shah, Piyush Dhotra, Vikas Sharma, Muzaffar Ahmad Sheikh, Masood Ahmad Wani, Shafqat Majeed Bhat, Tariq Ahmad Reshi, Deepak Kumar, Suheel Ahmad Lone, Shoaib Noor, Javid Ahmad Rather, Musharraf Ali Haf, Shakoor Ahmad Dar, and Mohd Jahangir.
Among those promoted to the Selection Grade, Gulzar Ahmad Bhat, Rachna Sharma, Vikas Sharma, Masood Ahmad Wani, Suheel Ahmad Lone, and Shoaib Noor have been appointed as Additional Secretaries in their respective departments. The remaining officers in this batch will maintain their current assignments.
Furthermore, Jitender Mishra has been promoted to the Selection Grade of JKAS (Level-12) on a prospective basis. This promotion is contingent upon the outcome of any writ petitions that may be pending before the competent courts.
In addition to these promotions, the government has sanctioned the release of the Selection Grade (non-functional) for Jitender Mishra under the Non-Functional (Monetary) Scheme, as notified through SRO-198 of 2018. This financial upgradation is effective retrospectively from January 1, 2020.
All these promotions and financial benefits have been processed and issued in adherence to the decisions previously taken by the Council of Ministers. It is stipulated that these administrative actions are subject to the final outcome of any ongoing litigation in competent courts of law.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
