Chandigarh, August 7, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Haryana Government has appointed an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer as Secretary of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, replacing an HCS (Executive Branch) officer whose appointment had faced objections over alleged non-compliance with the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Secretariat Service Rules, 1981.
An order issued by the Haryana Department of Personnel on August 6 appointed Virender Kumar Dahiya, IAS (2013 batch), as the new Secretary of the Haryana Legislative Assembly. Dahiya was earlier serving as Director, State Transport. He replaces Rajiv Prashad, HCS (2016 batch), who had been holding the post since July 2025.
The appointment came after a year-long campaign by Advocate Hemant Kumar, a practising lawyer at the Punjab and Haryana High Court, who had raised legal objections regarding the eligibility of an HCS officer for appointment to the post under the existing service rules.
Hemant had submitted representations to several authorities, including Governor Prof. Ashim Kumar Ghosh, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker Harvinder Kalyan, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mahipal Dhanda, Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Chief Secretary Anurag Rastogi, and senior officials of the Parliamentary Affairs Department, seeking reconsideration of the appointment unless the relevant rules were amended.
Ambala MP Varun Chaudhary had also written to the Governor last year raising similar concerns, though no immediate action was taken at that time.
Rules Specify Eligible Sources for Assembly Secretary Post
According to Hemant, the Haryana Vidhan Sabha Secretariat Service Rules, 1981, do not provide for appointment of an HCS (Executive Branch) officer as Secretary of the Assembly.
He said the rules prescribe specific sources for appointment to the post, including:
- Promotion of an Additional Secretary of the Assembly Secretariat with at least one year of experience.
- Transfer of an officer of the appropriate rank from the Haryana cadre of the Indian Administrative Service.
- Transfer of an Assistant Advocate General, Deputy Advocate General or Senior Deputy Advocate General from the Office of the Advocate General, Haryana, subject to prescribed qualifications.
- Deputation of a member of the Haryana Superior Judicial Service holding a rank equivalent to Additional District and Sessions Judge.
Hemant argued that there was no provision under the existing rules permitting appointment of an HCS (Executive Branch) officer to the post.
‘Executive Orders Cannot Override Service Rules’
Maintaining that his objections were related to legal procedure and not any individual officer, Hemant said statutory service rules governing constitutional institutions must be followed unless formally amended.
“When service rules specifically prescribe the sources and eligibility for appointment to a statutory post, those provisions cannot be altered merely through executive orders,” he said.
He clarified that his objections were not against Rajiv Prashad’s professional credentials, describing him as an accomplished officer with legal and administrative expertise.
“The issue has never been about the individual; it has always been about adherence to statutory service rules governing appointments in constitutional institutions,” Hemant said.
The development has brought renewed focus on appointment procedures in legislative institutions and the need for clarity on whether the Haryana Government will amend the 1981 service rules to include HCS officers as an eligible category for the post in future.
The Haryana Vidhan Sabha Secretary’s post is a key administrative position responsible for the functioning of the Assembly Secretariat.
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