The Government on Monday appointed outgoing Finance Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi as the new Home Secretary by replacing lC Goyal, who still had 18 months of his two-year tenure. Mehrishi has been obviously given the sensitive assignment in view of his excellent track records as a long-serving bureaucrat at different posts, both at the Centre and in the Rajasthan Government, according to sources. Mehrisihi is 1978 batch IAS officer from Rajasthan cadre.
After being given the abrupt marching orders, Goyal took “voluntary retirement” citing “personal reasons”. He was later appointed as Chairman and Managing Director of India Trade Promotion Organisation (ITPO).
It is widely believed that the Centre was not happy with Goyal over his reported difference with the Prime Minister’s Office on certain aspects of the recent Naga peace accord. His handling of certain other sensitive cases also led to his unceremonious exit.
A PMO release said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved the appointment of Mehrishi, Secretary, and Department of Economic Affairs, who was due to retire hours later, as Home Secretary for a period of two years.
The statement also said that the Prime Minister has also approved the request of Goyal, a 1979-batch IAS officer, whose two-year tenure was till February, 2017, seeking voluntary retirement “due to personal reasons with immediate effect”.
later in the day, these decisions were attributed to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), which consists of the Prime Minister and Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
“Acceptance of the request of lC Goyal, IAS (Kl:79), Home Secretary for voluntarily retiring from service with immediate effect by waiving the notice period. Appointment of Rajiv Mehrishi, IAS (RJ:78), Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance as Home Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs for a period of two years from the date of taking over charge as Home Secretary vice lC Goyal,” said the PIB communiqué.
On Monday evening, another official announcement said that Modi has approved the appointment of Goyal as Chairman and Managing Director of ITPO.
Amid reports that Goyal had differences with the government on certain key issues including the recent Naga accord, the officer maintained that he was not upset with the Government and that his decision to take voluntary retirement was personal. “It was my own decision,” Goyal said, adding that any other reason being mentioned was “factually incorrect”.
Goyal had taken over as Home Secretary nearly seven months ago on February 5 when the then incumbent Anil Goswami was sacked after he allegedly tried to prevent CBI from arresting former Union Minister Matang Sinh in connection with Saradha chit fund scam case.
This is the third exit of a top bureaucrat much before the end of tenure. Apart from Goswami, Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh was eased out of her office in January, six months before the completion of her two-year fixed tenure.