‘Violating’ administrative protocol: Minister moves privilege notice against Mandi DC

In the notice moved before the speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, the minister stated that the incident in question was “not merely an act of administrative negligence but a clear violation of established government protocol.”

In a fresh face off between the bureaucracy and ministers, Himachal Pradesh ayush, youth services and sports and law minister Yadvinder Goma had submitted a privilege notice against the deputy commissioner of Mandi, Apoorav Devgan, for allegedly violating administrative protocol during his visit to Mandi on January 25, 2026.

In a fresh face off between the bureaucracy and ministers, Himachal Pradesh ayush, youth services and sports and law minister Yadvinder Goma had submitted a privilege notice against the deputy commissioner of Mandi, Apoorav Devgan, for allegedly violating administrative protocol during his visit to Mandi on January 25, 2026. (Getty Images/iStockphoto/ Representational image)

The privilege notice comes at a point when the controversy erupted after PWD minister Vikramaditya Singh recently posted on social media alleging that certain senior IAS and IPS officers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar were “undermining Himachaliyat” and lacked concern for the state had just subsided. His comments drew a sharp reaction from the state’s IAS and IPS Officers’ Associations, who formally lodged a protest with the government against the “regional” profiling.

In the notice moved before the speaker of the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha, the minister stated that the incident in question was “not merely an act of administrative negligence but a clear violation of established government protocol.” The notice pertains to the alleged unavailability of deputy commissioner, Mandi, Apoorav Devgan, upon the minister’s arrival in the district on January 25, 2026, a day ahead of the Republic Day function.

According to the notice, the presence of the deputy commissioner (DC) or an authorised representative is considered mandatory when a cabinet minister arrives in a district for an event of national importance.

The minister said that ignoring a Cabinet minister on the eve of a national occasion such as Republic Day “undermines the dignity of a constitutional office and reflects disrespect towards the Legislature.” Rejecting the suggestion that the matter could be treated as a routine lapse, Goma described the episode as a case of “serious administrative insensitivity.”