MUMBAI: After being overlooked twice, the state's seniormost IAS officer, Sujata Saunik, has taken over as Maharashtra's first woman chief secretary. Now, women head the state's bureaucracy as well as the police force, with Rashmi Shukla as DGP.
Sujata Saunik, an IAS officer of the 1987 batch, succeeds Nitin Kareer, who retired on Sunday. She is set to retire on June 30 next year.
When Manukumar Srivastava, an IAS officer of the 1986 batch, retired as chief secretary in March 2023, Sujata Saunik was expected to succeed him since she was the seniormost bureaucrat in the state. But her husband, Manoj Saunik, was appointed instead.
After Manoj Saunik's retirement on Dec 31, 2023, the buzz over Sujata Saunik's appointment grew louder. But she was ignored once again and Kareer, from the 1988 IAS batch, was picked even though he had just three months left to retire.
Kareer, believed to be close to CMs irrespective of their political affiliations, was given a three-month extension on the last day before retirement owing to LS elections due to which Sujata Saunik once again missed the bus.
When it looked like she was finally set to get her due, the names of two bureaucrats-additional chief secretary Iqbal Singh Chahal and Rajesh Kumar-began to float. However, CM Shinde made it clear that seniority would be the criterion for appointment.