UP IAS officer asks Yogi government to pay him only only half his salary. Who is he?

Published 21 July 2026 · india

An Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer posted in Uttar Pradesh has questioned the state's administrative work culture, transparency and accountability mechanisms, requesting that he be

An Indian Administrative Services (IAS) officer posted in Uttar Pradesh has questioned the state's administrative work culture, transparency and accountability mechanisms, requesting that he be paid only half his salary on the ground that he has only about four hours of effective work each day, news agency PTI said. In the four-page letter, written on 15 July and addressed to the principal secretary, Appointment and Personnel Department, the officer Rinku Singh Rahi sought an assessment of his suitability for the state's administrative system. Also Read | Ram Mandir donation row in critical phase as SIT submits initial report to Govt Rahi alleged that he was transferred from the post of SDM, Jalaun, to SDM (Judicial) in haste even before the committee constituted to investigate the controversy had submitted its report. He has appealed the department to review his transfer and allow him to continue in his current assignment until a final decision is taken. Rahi said that if he was found suitable, he should be assigned responsibilities on par with other officers of his batch. Otherwise, the government should consider transferring him to another state cadre in accordance with the rules. Rahi claimed that during his posting in Jalaun, he had created WhatsApp groups for every gram panchayat and urban locality, linking citizens, officials and government employees to establish a real-time, evidence-based social audit system.

According to him, the mechanism enabled monitoring of the attendance and functioning of field-level employees, including village secretaries, lekhpals and sanitation workers, while residents also shared evidence of alleged irregularities and corruption. The officer alleged that several key categories of public information, including attendance records of field staff, beneficiary lists, details of MGNREGA works, lists of encroachments on government land, detailed project reports and tender-related documents, were not made public despite his repeated requests to senior officials in the interest of transparency. He further alleged that he faced pressure and controversy while conducting inquiries into cases relating to illegal encroachments, illegal mining and public complaints. The IAS officer also claimed that attempts were made to pressure him into accepting false complaint disposal reports, though he continued to act in accordance with the rules. Also Read | Yogi govt claims national record in power supply as UP meets 31,824 MW demand Rahi, who is currently posted as Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Judicial), said he had only around four hours of effective work every day. On that basis, he requested that he be paid only half his salary from July 22, saying he believed in the ethical principle of "equal pay for equal work" and did not consider it appropriate to draw full salary without commensurate work.