Bhubaneswar, Nov 27: Senior IAS officer Sujata Karthikeyan, wife of bureaucrat-turned-politician V K Pandian, resumed her duties on Wednesday, a day after the Odisha government denied her request for an extension of child care leave.
Sujata, a 2000-batch IAS officer, had been on six months of child care leave (CCL) since May 31, just before the final phase of polling for the 2024 Lok Sabha election in Odisha. The General Administration and Public Grievance Department had approved her leave and issued an official letter on June 5.
On Tuesday, Manoj Kumar Mohanty, Additional Secretary to the state government, informed Sujata that her request for a six-month extension of her CCL, starting November 27, had been declined. She was instructed to re-join her duties on Wednesday.
It is noteworthy that her husband, VK Pandian, who was also an IAS officer of the Odisha cadre, retired voluntarily in 2023 and later joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). In May this year, the Election Commission had transferred Sujata to a non-public dealing department following complaints of alleged misuse of public office. At the time, she was serving as the Commissioner-cum-Secretary in the Department of Mission Shakti.
Sujata Karthikeyan resumes duties after Odisha Government rejects leave extension
