Gujarat govt appoints AK Rakesh as ACS of home department

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat Government on Monday appointed IAS officer AK Rakesh as the additional chief secretary of the home department following an order by the Election Commission of India.

The ECI had ordered the replacement of the home secretaries in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand earlier in the day.

Rakesh, a member of the 1989 batch of IAS officials, who is currently serving as Additional Chief Secretary in the Agriculture, Farmers Welfare, and Co-operation Department, will assume the additional responsibility of Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department until further notice, relieving Pankaj Joshi of his duties.

The ECI’s action was prompted by concerns that the home secretaries were holding dual positions in chief minister offices, potentially compromising their neutrality, especially in matters of law and order during elections.

Joshi, who previously held the role of Additional Chief Secretary in the Chief Minister’s Office, had taken on the additional responsibility of ACS (Home) following the retirement of Mukesh Puri. DeshGujarat