IAS-IPS couple may get Gujarat cadre

Looking to put a bureaucrat couple in the same cadre so that they may be able to reside together, the Centre is mulling allotment of Gujarat cadre to the IAS-IPS duo and has decided to seek the approval of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Appointments Committee of Cabinet.

The unique case is of 2011-batch IAS officer P Parthiban from Tamil Nadu and his wife and batchmate, Tamil Nadu cadre IPS officer Nisha, who hails from Delhi. Parthiban belongs to the Union Territories cadre, that includes Delhi.

The couple has sought common cadre citing their marriage, as civil services rules allow it. However, the rules bar any member of the service from working in his or her home state, resulting in the conundrum.

The case was sent to a Committee headed by Sanjay Kothari, Secretary, Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), which decides on cases of inter-cadre transfer that require relaxation in existing guidelines.

The matter was first discussed by the committee at a meeting last month and it was decided that, as per the policy, neither officer can opt for the spouse's cadre as, in each case, it is their home cadre.