Historic Controversy in Tripura: Convicted and Chargesheeted TCS Officer Included in IAS Select List, Raises Serious Questions on Selection Process
By Our Correspondent
Agartala, December 6, 2025
A major controversy has erupted in Tripura after the Government of India published the Select List of 2024 (State Civil Service) for promotion to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), where an officer with pending disciplinary and criminal proceedings and previously convicted has been provisionally included for promotion.
The notification, issued on 01 December 2025 by the Department of Personnel & Training (DoPT), lists four officers from the State Civil Service for promotion. However, the inclusion of Panna Ahmed at Serial No. 3 has shocked many within the administrative circles. His name has been added provisionally, subject to clearance of ongoing disciplinary and criminal cases and the issuance of an integrity certificate, conditions rarely seen in IAS select lists.
Many TCS Officers saying this a unprecedented, told tripurainfo.com that this happened for the first time in Tripura’s administrative history, that a convicted officer has been placed in the IAS promotion list. This has triggered widespread debate on how vigilance clearance was granted when cases are still pending before competent authorities.
Senior officials and observers question how such a decision could be taken when officers like Udyan Sinha, Ananda Hari Jamatia and Pankaj Chakraborty, who have no criminal cases, no chargesheets, and have served with clean records, were not even considered for inclusion.
The controversy deepens as doubts are being raised about the conduct and intentions of officers handling the selection file. Allegations of favouritism, and potential misuse of authority are increasingly surfacing.
The role of a senior official believed to be associated with the vigilance process, is under sharp scrutiny. Observers point out that without proper vigilance clearance, no officer can be recommended for such a prestigious promotion, especially to the IAS cadre. How an officer facing trial and disciplinary action obtained even a provisional clearance remains unexplained.
The notification itself states that the entire select list is subject to the outcome of several Supreme Court and High Court cases regarding seniority and service-related disputes in the Tripura Civil Service. This further complicates the legitimacy and acceptability of the final selection.
The development has led to intense discussion among some bureaucrats, legal experts, and the public. Many view the incident as a serious compromise of administrative integrity, while others demand an immediate review of the process.
Questions that are now resonating across the state include:
How did a convicted officer receive clearance for IAS promotion? Why were officers with clean service records excluded? Who is responsible for enabling such a decision? Is this a case of systemic collapse, or deliberate manipulation?
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