The Tamil Nadu government has decided to seek the Centre’s permission for extending the services of Chief Secretary M. Sai Kumar, who is due for retirement in August this year. 

The idea is to get the nod for three months, which will coincide with the later part of the Southwest monsoon and most of the Northeast monsoon. Appointed in April during the enforcement of the election model code of conduct, Dr. Sai Kumar had held various positions in the government, such as Dharmapuri and Virudhunagar Collector during 1999-2001; Public Works Secretary (2011-14); Chairman and Managing Director of the erstwhile Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (TANGEDCO); and Principal Secretary - I to Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami during 2018-21.  

In the event of the Union government granting clearance for the extension, Dr. Sai Kumar will be the second official in recent times to get such an extension. In June 2020, when the country was in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Union government, in response to the State government’s request, had given an extension for three months to then Chief Secretary K. Shanmugam, who was due for retirement in July that year. Subsequently, another extension was granted for three more months.

During 2019-20, Mr. Shanmugam’s counterparts in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, Nilam Sawhney and Deepak Kumar, were also granted extension of services. 

When the AIADMK was in power during 1991-96, then Chief Secertary T.T.V. Venkataraman got one extension for six months (December 1993-May 1994); N. Haribhaskar’s tenure was also extended thrice (the first from December 1994-May 1995, the second from May 1995 to December 1995, and the third from December 1995 to June 1996). 

After the DMK returned to power in May 1996, K.A. Nambiar became Chief Secretary and his tenure was extended twice – from January to June 1997 and for one year ending June 1998. During the DMK’s next regime (2006-11), one more Chief Secretary was given the extension: K.S. Sripathi’s services were extended for six months effective April 2010 but four months later, he became State Chief Information Commissioner.