Jharkhand Government Finalises Seniority List of 925 Administrative Service Officers

Ranchi: The Jharkhand government has finalised a new seniority list of 925 officers of the Jharkhand Administrative Service, bringing clarity to a long-pending issue concerning their service rankings. With the issuance of the revised list, the previous seniority list published in December 2024 will no longer remain in force.

The Personnel Department issued a notification in this regard on November 6, 2026, formally approving the revised rankings.

The exercise assumes significance as the seniority of several officers, particularly those who were initially allotted to Bihar during the state's reorganisation and subsequently joined the Jharkhand cadre through transfer, had remained a subject of dispute.

The matter was examined by the Jharkhand High Court, which issued orders on July 1, 2026, in two related cases. Following the court's directions, the Personnel Department issued fresh guidelines on September 18 to determine the seniority of the officers concerned.

Based on these guidelines, the government prepared a provisional seniority list and made it public on October 7. Officers were given an opportunity to examine their positions and submit claims or objections in case of discrepancies.

The department subsequently scrutinised the objections received during the exercise. One officer's request for correction of his date of birth was found valid and accepted. Another officer challenged the downward revision of his position in the list, but the objection was not accepted due to the absence of supporting documentary evidence.

After completing the scrutiny process, the government has now issued the final list.

The revised seniority list covers a broad range of officers, including those allotted to Jharkhand following the reorganisation of Bihar, as well as officers who subsequently joined the state's administrative service through individual or mutual transfers. Officers inducted into the administrative service from the Election cadre have also been included.

Interestingly, the list also contains the names of some officers who have already retired from service or have been promoted to the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

However, the revised exercise will not affect the seniority of Deputy Collectors directly recruited through the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC). The government has clarified that the seniority lists issued in November 2020 and May 2025 will continue to govern their rankings.

With the November 6 notification, the state government has brought the long-pending exercise to a conclusion for 925 administrative service officers. The new list will replace the December 2024 version, while the existing seniority arrangements for directly recruited JPSC officers will remain unchanged.

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