HC stays CAT order allocating IAS officer Amrapali to Telangana cadre

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Monday stayed the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) order that had allocated IAS officer Amrapali Kata to the Telangana cadre.

The court issued interim directions suspending the tribunal’s verdict and sought a counter affidavit from Amrapali, while posting the matter for further hearing after six weeks.

DoPT’s Andhra Pradesh allocation under challenge

The dispute traces back to October last year when the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) issued official orders allocating Amrapali to the Andhra Pradesh cadre. Aggrieved by the decision, the officer challenged the DoPT orders before the Central Administrative Tribunal.

CAT’s swapping order favours Amrapali

During the hearing, the CAT considered a cadre-swapping arrangement involving IAS officer Harikiran and directed that Amrapali be allotted to Telangana instead of Andhra Pradesh. This order effectively overturned the DoPT’s original allocation.

DoPT moves High Court in appeal

Challenging the CAT’s directive, the DoPT approached the Telangana High Court, arguing that the swapping formula was wrongly applied to Amrapali’s case. The Central agency contended that such a swap was not legally valid under service rules.

Swapping is not applicable, argues DoPT

The DoPT further informed the court that IAS officer Harikiran belongs to a reserved category and, therefore, cadre swapping with Amrapali was not permissible under existing norms. On these grounds, it sought a stay on the CAT order.

Court grants interim stay

After hearing preliminary arguments, the High Court granted an interim stay on the CAT order and directed Amrapali’s counsel to file a detailed counter-affidavit. The court clarified that the tribunal’s order would remain in abeyance until the next round of hearing.