Bhubaneswar: Odisha IAS officer Sujata Karthikeyan, serving as the Special Secretary of the Finance Department, has taken a six-month leave for child care. According to a notification from the General Administration department, she has been granted leave from May 31 to November 26 to support her daughter, who is preparing for her Class X exams.This leave follows her reassignment from the post of Secretary of Mission Shakti to Special Secretary of the Finance Department. The Election Commission of India (ECI) mandated her transfer to a non-public dealing department after a complaint from BJP leaders accused her of acting in favor of the ruling BJD party.Sujata Karthikeyan is married to BJD leader V K Pandian, who entered state politics after retiring from All India Civil Services in October 2023. The BJD recently faced significant losses in the 2024 elections, failing to secure any Lok Sabha seats and seeing its Assembly numbers drop from 112 to 51, ending Naveen Patnaik’s 24-year governance in the state.
Odisha IAS Officer Sujata Karthikeyan Takes Six-Month Child Care Leave
