IAS Amrapali Wins Battle, Moves Back to Telangana from AP

IAS officer Kata Amrapali has finally won a hard-fought legal battle and is now set to return to the Telangana cadre after nearly a decade of uncertainty. Though she was originally allotted to the Andhra Pradesh cadre during the bifurcation of the Telugu states, Amrapali consistently resisted the shift, choosing instead to continue working in Telangana while pursuing her case through legal channels.

Despite her allocation to Andhra Pradesh by the central government (DoPT), Amrapali refused to relocate and remained in Telangana for close to 10 years, taking her fight all the way to the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT). In the meantime, she held various roles within the Telangana government, firmly believing that she belonged in that cadre.

Ironically, Amrapali hails from Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore district, although her family had moved to Visakhapatnam long ago. At the time of her IAS selection, her family was living in Vizag, which led her to originally opt for the Andhra Pradesh cadre. But following the formation of Telangana, Amrapali, like many officers, didn’t anticipate the bifurcation and later requested to be retained in Telangana.

However, her request was denied by the DoPT, which assigned her to Andhra Pradesh regardless of her preference. Several other IAS and IPS officers also faced similar issues during cadre allocation, but unlike most who accepted the decision, Amrapali chose to challenge it legally.

Recently, the DoPT insisted that Amrapali and two other IAS officers must report to Andhra Pradesh and set a deadline for their joining. With no choice left, she complied and was posted as Tourism Secretary in Andhra Pradesh.

But in a major relief, the final verdict from CAT came out this week, ruling in Amrapali’s favor and allowing her to move back to the Telangana cadre. She is now expected to shift out of Andhra Pradesh and rejoin the Telangana administration very soon. Her victory is being seen as a significant precedent for officers facing similar cadre disputes.