Sujata Karthikeyan joins duties after Odisha Government rejects leave extension

Bhubaneswar, Nov 27: Sujata Karthikeyan, a senior IAS officer and wife of former IAS officer-turned-politician V K Pandian, resumed her duties on Wednesday, a day after the Odisha government denied her application for an extension of child care leave.

Karthikeyan, a 2000-batch officer, had been on child care leave since May 31, just before the final phase of polling for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Odisha. The General Administration and Public Grievance Department had granted her leave initially, issuing an official letter on June 5.

On Tuesday, the state's Additional Secretary, Manoj Kumar Mohanty, informed Sujata that her request for a further six-month leave extension, effective from November 27, had been declined. She was instructed to return to her duties on Wednesday.

Notably, her husband, V K Pandian, retired voluntarily from the IAS in 2023 and later joined the Biju Janata Dal (BJD). In May 2023, the Election Commission had ordered Karthikeyan's transfer to a non-public dealing role due to allegations of misuse of public office.