The Uttarakhand administration has designated IAS officer Dilip Jawalkar as its new Home Secretary, after the Election Commission’s endorsement. The Election Commission had instructed the dismissal of Shailesh Bagauli (IAS:2002:UK), who previously held the position of Home Secretary in Uttarakhand, alongside home secretaries in five other states.

Dilip Jawalkar, presently serving as the Secretary of Finance, has been selected to assume the role of Home Secretary in Uttarakhand. Shailesh Bagauli, who also served as the Chief Minister’s Secretary, was assigned the additional responsibility of Secretary, Home and Prisons on February 10.

However, in the wake of the Election Commission’s instruction on Monday, six states, including Uttarakhand, were directed to replace home secretaries who concurrently held roles in their respective chief minister’s offices, aiming to prevent conflicts of interest during the Lok Sabha elections.