Exposing the Ongoing Attempt to Flout DoPT Guidelines in the Upcoming GM Panel!
According to whistleblower inputs received from senior officials stationed in the Railway Board, serious procedural bypasses and rule violations are currently underway regarding the empanelment of General Managers (GMs).
Background and Selection Process
Under Ministry of Railways Notification No. 2025/CRB&CEO-CC/4/11 (part) dated 31.08.2026, applications were invited from eligible officers up to the 1991 examination batch for empanelment to ex-cadre Level-16 posts, in accordance with the Indian Railway (Selection to Senior Posts) Rules, 2025. Eligible officers applied through the HRMS portal prior to the deadline of 30.09.2026. Subsequently, the 360° feedback of all applicants has been completed, and advance action for panel preparation is underway.
Disregard for IPR and Vigilance Clearance Norms
However, it has come to light that several officers who applied have failed to submit their Annual Immovable Property Return (IPR) for the year 2025 by the mandated deadline of 31.01.2026.
As per Department of Personnel and Training (#DoPT) Office Memorandum (OM) No. 11013/17/2023-PP-A.III dated 14.07.2023 and OM No. 11012/11/2007-Estt.A dated 27.09.2011, the timely submission of IPR by 31st January of the following year is mandatory for all Group ‘A’ and Group ‘B’ officers. Failure to do so serves as valid and sufficient ground for instituting disciplinary proceedings.
Furthermore, as explicitly mandated under DoPT guidelines, vigilance clearance must be denied to any officer who fails to submit their annual immovable property return by the prescribed date. Without vigilance clearance, the empanelment of these officers to Level-16 is legally untenable.
Precedents corroborate this rule: previously, two 1985-batch IRSE officers—Manoj Sharma and Naresh Lalwani—were denied empanelment to Level-16 for this very reason, forcing them to wait an extra year to become GM.
Patronage and Attempted Cover-Up
Despite these statutory rules, reliable sources indicate that certain favored officers enjoy strong high-level patronage within the Railway Board, and active maneuvers are underway to include them in the GM Panel by bypassing established norms.
Speculation is rife that the current panel under consideration may be deliberately kept pending until December 31st. This would allow these defaulting officers to file their 2026 IPR on January 1st, 2027, thereby attempting to bypass compliance failure through administrative manipulation.
Such back-door tactics to benefit or favour specific officers at the cost of administrative integrity are highly condemnable and warrant immediate intervention. It is imperative that these facts be brought to the urgent cognizance of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), DoPT, and the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC).
Vigilance audits of IPRs must be mandatory!
How many senior railway officers upload their Immovable Property Returns (IPR) on time every year? How many have submitted incomplete details, and how many have shown abnormal growth in their assets? Merely submitting an IPR is not enough. Railway Board Vigilance should conduct a regular audit of every officer’s IPR.
An investigation should be conducted into when the property was purchased, at what price, what the known sources of income were, and whether the declared property matches the actual market value.
Transparency should not be limited to speeches; it must also be reflected in the character and accounting of officers’ assets.
#RailSamachar has important documents and evidence related to the IPRs of certain railway officers, which indicate abnormal and excessive growth in their declared assets.
An impartial investigation into several serious aspects of these cases is essential:
- Veracity of Educational Degrees: Verification of the validity and authenticity of the degrees submitted by officers, along with the promotions or benefits obtained on their basis.
- Suspicious Appointments of Spouses: Investigation into the reality of the appointment process, duties, and salaries received regarding the temporary appointments of officers’ wives as lecturers or to other posts.
- Suspicion of Converting Illegally Acquired Money into Legitimate Assets: Investigation into the possibilities of acquiring assets disproportionate to known sources of income and laundering black money through suspicious financial transactions.
- Property Acquisition and Rental Income: Reconciliation of the actual financing sources of purchased properties, dates of purchase, market values, rental income, and declared income tax returns.
Demand: An independent and detailed audit of the IPRs of the concerned officers should be conducted by Railway Board Vigilance. If necessary, the CVC, ED, and Income Tax Department should also be involved in the investigation. Merely submitting an IPR is not enough; the verification of its authenticity and the actual sources of assets must also be mandatory.
This is not merely an apprehension, but a fact substantiated by documents and evidence available with #RailSamachar, which warrants an impartial vigilance investigation. However, first, if general orders are issued by Vigilance for the verification of the IPRs of all officers, only then will the presentation of the available evidence hold real justification and impact.