HC stays IPS officer Abhilasha Bisht’s allocation to Andhra; allows her to serve in Telangana

Hyderabad: Telangana High Court has directed the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to allow senior IPS officer Abhilasha Bisht to continue her service in Telangana.

The court stayed her allocation to Andhra Pradesh pending a final hearing on her writ petition.

A division bench of Justice P Sam Koshy and Justice Narsing Rao Nandikonda issued the directive on Friday after hearing arguments regarding alleged discrepancies in the seniority lists used during the post-bifurcation cadre allocation process.

A "Distorted" Seniority List

Abhilasha Bisht, currently serving as the Director of the RBVRR Telangana State Police Academy, challenged the decision by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) and the MHA to allocate her to Andhra Pradesh.

Her legal counsel, Senior Advocate Mr. J. Sudheer, argued that the allocation was based on an "erroneous" seniority list. According to the petitioner:

As of January 1, 2014 (before bifurcation), Bisht was ranked senior to other 1994-batch officers, specifically Dr. Soumya Mishra and Smt. Shikha Goel.

A subsequent list on August 22, 2014, maintained this hierarchy.

However, a list later transmitted by the State Government to the Centre allegedly flipped this ranking without notice, placing Bisht below her colleagues.

The petitioner contends that this "unlawful reversal" of seniority—done without adhering to IPS (Probation) Rules or Seniority Regulation Rules—was the sole reason she was shifted to the Andhra Pradesh cadre instead of being retained in Telangana.

Seeking Judicial Remedy

The move to the High Court comes after the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) previously disposed of Bisht’s petition without granting substantive relief. Counsel Sudheer argued that the officer was left without an effective remedy against an arbitrary change in her professional standing.

Representing the Union Home Ministry, Additional Solicitor General Mr. Narasimha Sharma noted that several similar petitions from both IAS and IPS officers regarding cadre allocation under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014, are currently pending before the Court.

Court’s Directive

Recognizing the complexity and the shared nature of these legal challenges, the High Court ordered that:

Abhilasha Bisht be permitted to continue her duties in Telangana until further orders.

The case be tagged with other similar pending writ petitions for a collective hearing.

The matter be adjourned until after the Summer Vacation.

This ruling provides temporary relief to the senior officer, ensuring stability in the leadership of the State Police Academy while the court probes the legality of the seniority revisions made during the state's bifurcation process.