At last, senior IAS officer Y Srilakshmi, a 1988-batch officer of Andhra Pradesh cadre, was on Thursday appointed as the Special Chief Secretary, General Administration Department (GAD), just four days before her scheduled retirement on June 30.
Chief Secretary K Sai Prasad issued orders appointing Srilakshmi as Special Chief Secretary in-charge of the Administrative Reforms Department.
She will relieve another senior IAS officer Shamsher Singh Rawat of his additional charge.
During the previous YSR Congress party government, Srilakshmi, who had shifted to Andhra Pradesh after serving in the Telangana cadre, was entrusted with important responsibilities in the Municipal Administration Department.
She was considered the most favourite IAS officer of then chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and had been given quick promotions during his regime.
However, she was sidelined soon after the coalition government headed by Chandrababu Naidu took over in June 2024.
Srilakshmi had been kept without a posting for nearly two years. The decision to assign her a key position only days before her retirement has sparked discussion in bureaucratic circles.
Srilakshmi's career has been marked by legal controversies dating back to the undivided Andhra Pradesh era.
She faced allegations in connection with the Obulapuram Mining Company (OMC) mining lease case during the tenure of former chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy.
She was also named as an accused in the CBI's disproportionate assets case against Jagan Mohan Reddy. She was arrested in connection with the investigation and spent time in judicial custody.
Her health reportedly deteriorated during her incarceration before she was granted bail. Following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, she continued in the Telangana cadre before later moving to Andhra Pradesh.
In February this year, the Supreme Court dismissed her discharge petition seeking to have her name removed from the CBI case, allowing the proceedings against her to continue.
Her appointment shortly before retirement has therefore assumed significance, given both her prolonged wait for a posting and the legal history associated with her career.
