Intelligence Bureau chief Tapan Kumar Deka, a counter-terrorism expert, has been given a one-year extension for the second time.

In an order issued on Tuesday, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet said it has approved an extension for Mr Deka for one year, till June 2026, or until further orders, whichever is earlier.

Mr Deka is a 1988-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) officer of the Himachal Pradesh cadre and has expertise in handling cases related to terrorism and radicalisation. He is also an expert in handling anti-terror cases with origins in Pakistan, which is especially important in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s response in the form of Operation Sindoor.

The officer was appointed as the head of the Intelligence Bureau in June 2022 for a period of two years and was granted an extension for a year in June 2024.

The extension, Tuesday’s order said, is “in relaxation of the provisions of FR 56 (d) and Rule 16 (1A) of All India Services (Death cum Retirement Benefits) Rules, 1958”.

The rules allow the Centre to extend the services of the chiefs of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Research and Analysis Wing, the cabinet secretary, home secretary and others beyond the superannuation age of 60 in “public interest”.

Experience

Mr Deka was the head of the operations wing of the IB for over two decades before being appointed the chief of the intelligence agency. 

He was in charge of the counter-operation during the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai in 2008 and also led the operations against the Indian Mujahideen, which was responsible for several terror attacks in the country in the 2000s.

Mr Deka also has experience handling situations in the northeast and his home state of Assam and has been the government’s go-to man for crises in Jammu and Kashmir.