Doctor-turned IAS Anu Aggarwal deemed to have resigned; but why?

DOCTOR-turned IAS Anu Aggarwal, belonging to Nagaland cadre of 2001 batch, is deemed to have resigned from IAS because of unauthorized leaves for over five years. The resignation will have a retrospective effect from September 1, 2015. The DoPT notification issued on Tuesday and signed by a deputy secretary-level officer reads as follows:

“The President is pleased to direct that Dr. Anu Aggarwal, a member of the Indian Administrative Service, borne on the Cadre of (NL:2001) is deemed to have resigned from the Indian Administrative Service with effect from 01.09.2015 in terms of rule 7(2)(b) of the All India Services (Leave) Rules, 1955”.

According to service records available in DoPT website, Dr Aggarwal last served as additional secretary and DG in Nagaland’s human resources department. She also served in the health department of the state and worked as additional deputy commissioner in Mon district of Nagaland. For a brief period — i.e. between March and August of 2006, she was a part of the minister’s office in the union finance ministry. 

Hailing from Chandigarh, Aggarwal, then an MBBS got selected into IAS in her third attempt. According to media reports published those days, she was one of 11 candidates of Chandigarh who managed to clear the prestigious civil services examination of 2000. In a report published in The Tribune then, it was said that “hard work, lots of luck and the grace of God” were the ingredients of success for Dr Aggarwal. She opted for medicine science and anthropology as optional subjects.

It’s not however known why Ms Aggarwal remained absent from work for so many years. As BoI had published in a post in 2009, Ms Aggarwal did apply for an inter-cadre deputation from Nagaland to Punjab, and the then government said that her request would be considered “only after completion of six years in her cadre and after completion of 'cooling off' requirements”.