The Centre on Saturday appointed senior bureaucrat Sajjan Singh Yadav as chief secretary of Jammu and Kashmir, replacing Atal Dulloo, whose tenure ends this month, an official order said on Saturday.
Yadav will assume charge on November 1 or on the date he takes over, according to an order issued by the federal home ministry.
The appointment ends weeks of speculation over the leadership of the region’s top administrative post and comes amid continuing sensitivities over the division of powers between the elected government and the centrally-appointed Lieutenant Governor.
Yadav’s appointment is notable as he comes from the broader AGMUT cadre, which serves several states and union territories, following the merger of Jammu and Kashmir’s separate civil service cadre into the joint cadre in 2021.
Several officers currently serving in Jammu and Kashmir, as well as some on deputation elsewhere, are senior to Yadav in terms of batch.
Yadav has previously served as additional chief secretary and chief executive officer of the Delhi Jal Board.
His academic qualifications include a postgraduate diploma in public policy from the Hubert H Humphrey School at the University of Minnesota, a master’s degree in finance from Delhi University and a master’s degree in economics from Harvard University.
The chief secretary coordinates the work of government departments and plays a central role in implementing policy and managing relations between the bureaucracy, the elected government and the Lieutenant Governor’s administration.
Jammu and Kashmir has operated as a union territory since 2019, when the Centre revoked its special constitutional status and reorganised the former state.
The region’s elected assembly was restored following elections in 2024, but key responsibilities, including police and public order, remain under the lieutenant governor’s control.
Dulloo, who has served as chief secretary since December 2023, is due to retire on October 31 after reaching the age of 60.
The Union Home Ministry’s order did not give a reason for not extending his tenure.
Reports had earlier said Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha had recommended a one-year extension for Dulloo, although the final decision rested with the competent authority.
Dulloo oversaw the administration’s preparations for the 2024 parliamentary elections and Jammu and Kashmir’s first assembly elections in a decade.
His final weeks in office, however, were marked by a dispute with the elected government over a proposed resolution concerning the restoration of statehood.
Dulloo and the administration’s law secretary wrote to Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather opposing the introduction and discussion of the resolution, citing legal concerns, according to reports.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah objected to the intervention, which drew criticism from lawmakers and prompted a notice for a privilege motion against the officials.
The episode highlighted tensions over the respective roles of the bureaucracy and the elected government, which took office in 2024 after years of direct federal administration.
The Centre has not said whether the dispute played any role in its decision on Dulloo’s tenure.
Separately, reports have said Dulloo is being considered for the chairmanship of the Jammu and Kashmir Public Service Commission, a post that is currently vacant. No official announcement has been made.
Yadav’s appointment places an officer from that wider administrative pool at the head of Jammu and Kashmir’s bureaucracy at a time when the relationship between the region’s elected leadership and the federal administration remains a central political issue.
