Govt extends tenure of Cabinet, Home secretaries by one year

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet approved one-year extensions for Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan and Home Secretary Govind Mohan.

Updated on: Aug 6, 2026, 10:43:06 IST

By HT Correspondent

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The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Wednesday approved one-year extensions in service for cabinet secretary T V Somanathan and Union home secretary Govind Mohan, according to separate orders issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan and Union Home Secretary Govind Mohan have been granted one-year extensions in service by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet. (Hindustan Times)

Somanathan gets another year

The ACC approved the extension of Somanathan, a 1987-batch IAS officer of the Tamil Nadu cadre, as cabinet secretary for one year beyond August 30, 2026.

“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved an extension in service of Dr T.V. Somanathan, IAS (TN:87) as Cabinet Secretary for a further period of one year beyond August 30, 2026,” the DoPT order said.

Somanathan was appointed cabinet secretary on August 30, 2024, succeeding Rajiv Gauba. Before taking over the country’s top bureaucratic post, he served as finance secretary and held key positions in the Prime Minister’s Office, including joint secretary and additional secretary.

Also read: Centre extends CBI chief Praveen Sood's tenure by one more year

Govind Mohan's tenure also extended

In a separate order, the ACC approved a one-year extension for Govind Mohan, a 1989-batch IAS officer of the Sikkim cadre, as Union home secretary beyond August 22, 2026.

“The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved extension in the service of Shri Govind Mohan, IAS (SK:89) as Home Secretary, Ministry of home affairs for a period of one year beyond 22.08.2026 i.e. up to 22.08.2027 or until further orders, whichever is earlier, in relaxation of the provisions of FR 56 (d) and Rule 16 (1A) of the All India Services (Death-Cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958,” the order said.

The relaxation has been granted under provisions that allow the Centre to extend the tenure of certain key officials beyond the retirement age of 60 years. These include the cabinet secretary, home secretary, defence secretary, foreign secretary, the Intelligence Bureau director and the chief of the Research and Analysis Wing, among others.

Also read: Supreme Court okays 6-month extension for retiring members of tribunals

Mohan was appointed home secretary in August 2024, replacing Ajay Bhalla, who is now the governor of Manipur. Before assuming the post, Mohan served as secretary in the Ministry of Culture.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet comprises Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah.

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