The Supreme Court quashed Pradeep Atri’s Haryana PWD absorption. Questions have emerged over his reported listing in NHAI’s officer directory
New Delhi: Questions have emerged over the administrative status of Pradeep Atri after the Supreme Court of India declared his deputation and absorption into Haryana’s Public Works Department (Buildings and Roads) illegal. His reported presence in the National Highways Authority of India’s (NHAI) online officer directory has also raised questions about his current posting and service status.
On August 18, 2026, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment in Hemant Kumar & Others v. State of Haryana (2026 INSC 878). A bench comprising Justices Manoj Misra and Ujjal Bhuyan examined the deputation and subsequent absorption of four officers from Haryana’s Development and Panchayat Department into the state’s PWD (Buildings and Roads) Department.
The Court held Pradeep Atri’s deputation illegal and declared the absorption of all four officers, including Atri, illegal, non est and void. It quashed their absorption orders and directed their repatriation to the Development and Panchayat Department. The judgment also rejected the continuation of the officers in the PWD department following the invalidation of their absorption.
The Court observed that the passage of time could not validate an appointment made in violation of applicable service rules. It also examined the circumstances surrounding the officers’ entry into the PWD department and the rules governing deputation and absorption.
The judgment raises a separate administrative question concerning Atri’s subsequent association with NHAI. The press release claims that his name continues to appear in the authority’s publicly accessible officer directory under its Gandhinagar Regional Office.
However, the directory entry alone does not establish his current service status, the legal basis of his posting or whether NHAI has taken any administrative action following the judgment.
The questions now concern whether Haryana has implemented the repatriation direction, whether it has communicated the relevant details to NHAI and whether the highway authority has reviewed the implications for Atri’s posting.
The release also calls for NHAI to clarify his current designation, place of posting and administrative status. It seeks a review of the relevant service and deputation records.
The Supreme Court’s order directly concerns the officers’ deputation and absorption in Haryana PWD. It does not, by itself, establish that NHAI must remove Atri from a separate assignment. Any action concerning his NHAI posting would require examination of the applicable service rules and administrative records.
The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, NHAI and the Haryana government have been urged to clarify the steps taken after the judgment.
