Gurugram: When the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) notified a list of 21 Haryana Police Service (HPS) officers promoted to the Indian Police Service on Wednesday, it should have been a moment of celebration for the officers who had waited years for the upgrade.
Instead, the notification laid bare the delays in a promotion system that is now handing out IPS badges to officers who have already hung up their uniforms—and in at least one case, to an officer who has even crossed the IPS retirement age.
Krishan Kumar, born on 1 July 1965, retired from the Haryana Police Service in July 2023 when he turned 58, the age at which Haryana state government employees superannuate. He has now been promoted to the IPS in the Select List of 2021.
By the time the MHA got around to notifying his promotion, Kumar had not only retired as an HPS officer but had also, in July 2025, crossed 60, the retirement age for All India Services officers.
He will not wear the IPS uniform for a single day. He will not hold the rank of Superintendent of Police or any equivalent posting, even briefly.
What he will get, however, are the financial benefits of an IPS officer backdated to 2021 and a pension recalculated accordingly. In other words, the state’s and Centre’s delayed machinery will cost the exchequer money but give the officer nothing in terms of actual service.
Three retirees get a second chance—briefly
Three other retired HPS officers—Virender Singh, Suresh Kumar, and Raj Kumar Walia—find themselves in a slightly different though still unusual situation. Having already retired as HPS officers at 58, they will now be recalled to serve as IPS officers for a few months because they have yet to turn 60.
Suresh Kumar was born in August 1966 and retired in August 2024. Promoted in the 2020 Select List, he will be recalled and serve as an IPS officer until August, a tenure of roughly three months, before hanging up his uniform again.
Virender Singh, also promoted in the 2020 Select List and born in October 1966, will get two more months than his colleague, returning to service as an IPS officer until October this year.
Of all the officers, Raj Kumar Walia gains the most. He retired as an HPS officer in January and has been promoted in the 2022 Select List. He will be recalled and serve as an IPS officer until January 2028—nearly two years—making his a somewhat more substantive second innings.
Among the others promoted, Rajeev Deswal and Mukesh Kumar figure in the 2020 Select List, while Dharmavir, Baljinder Singh and Jaibir Singh have been placed in the 2021 Select List.
Dhyan Singh Punia, Tahir Hussain and Rajesh Kumar find place in the 2022 Select List, and Ravinder Kumar in the 2023 Select List. Narendra Singh, Vijay Singh and Siddharth Dhanda have been promoted in the 2024 Select List, while Mamta Kharab, Karan Goyal and Sandeep Kumar are in the 2025 Select List.
HPS officers Sumer Singh and Tanya have been given provisional promotions, as criminal cases against them are pending in court. They have been given time until December to submit the requisite documents, and their promotions will be confirmed only if their cases are disposed of by then.
A senior Haryana government official told The Print that the process faced prolonged delays due to administrative bottlenecks and pending integrity certificates.
The official said a move to promote 13 of these officers was also initiated two years ago. But the file was sent back by the chief secretary because the Annual Confidential Reports of several HPS officers were incomplete, due to which their integrity certificates had not been issued.
Perhaps, the most striking name in the list is Rajeev Deswal. Born in September 1965, Deswal was promoted to the IPS way back under the 2016 Select List and retired in September 2025 as a serving IPS officer. He is already drawing the pension of an IPS officer.
Yet, he finds his name in Wednesday’s notification, this time in the 2020 Select List.
The Print reached Haryana Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sudhir Rajpal and Director General of Police Ajay Singhal for comment through WhatsApp messages. This report will be updated once they respond.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)