The Centre has approved voluntary retirement sought by Sujata Rout Karthikeyan, a 2000-batch IAS officer and wife of VK Pandian a trusted aide of former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
Karthikeyan had applied for voluntary retirement on March 13. “Central government has approved the request of voluntary retirement of Karthikeyan from IAS with effect from March 13, 2025, in relaxation of three months' mandatory notice period under Rule 16(2A) of All India Services (Death-Cum-Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958,” says a notification issued by Union Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievance and Pensions. The Centre has asked the Odisha government to issue another notification in this regard.
The IAS officer has followed the footstep of her bureaucrat husband Tamil Nadu-born Mr. Pandian, who had taken voluntary retirement in October 2023 before plunging into active politics and steering Biju Janata Dal's campaign for 2024 assembly and general elections.
Last year, Chief Minister Mohan Majhi-led BJP government in the State had rejected Karthikeyan's application to extend leave after she had already taken a six-month leave to care for her minor daughter, who was preparing for her Class 10 board examinations, after BJD's poll defeats.
While Pandian wielded significant influence in the Naveen Patnaik government, Karthikeyan oversaw the crucial Mission Shakti department. During the polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party had alleged that the outgoing IAS officer influenced self-help group (SHG) members into supporting the BJD. The BJP had also moved the Election Commission with a formal complaint and subsequently she was shifted to a non-public dealing department during the elections.
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