The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) has approved the appointment of three senior Indian Revenue Service (Income Tax) officers as Members of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), according to an order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training on August 13, 2026. The appointments include Pallavi Agarwal, IRS (IT:91008), currently serving as Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (Exemptions), Delhi. She has been appointed against the CBDT Member vacancy arising from April 1, 2026. As per the latest reports, these appointments are expected to strengthen the board's administrative and policy capacity, with the officers bringing diverse experience ranging from investigation and enforcement to international taxation and central government policymaking. The appointments were approved by the ACC, which is headed by the Prime Minister, and communicated by the Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet under the Department of Personnel and Training, Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions. The order was issued by the Secretariat of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet under the Department of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, with copies forwarded to the Department of Revenue, Prime Minister's Office and Cabinet Secretariat for information and necessary action.
The ACC has also appointed Sunil Kumar Singh, IRS (IT:91048), who is serving as Director General of Income Tax (Investigation), Ahmedabad. His appointment has been made against the vacancy arising from July 1, 2026. The third appointment is Vatsalaa Jha, IRS (IT:92003), currently Director General of Income Tax (Investigation), North West Region, Chandigarh. She has been appointed against the vacancy dated September 1, 2026. According to recent reports, Jha will have the longest tenure among the three officers, remaining in service until August 2029, while Agarwal and Singh are both scheduled to retire in December 2027. The Department of Personnel and Training has forwarded the appointment order to the Department of Revenue, Cabinet Secretariat, Prime Minister's Office and other concerned authorities for information and necessary action.
The appointments bring three highly experienced officers from the Income Tax Department into the apex policy-making body responsible for direct tax administration in India. As per the latest analysis, the three officers bring different areas of experience to the CBDT, with Agarwal's career including senior responsibilities in exemptions, international taxation and central government administration. Singh's extensive experience in tax investigation and enforcement, particularly through his current assignment as DG (Investigation), Ahmedabad, will bring field-level enforcement experience to the central board. Jha's career has combined investigation, tax administration and Ministry of Finance responsibilities, along with her current leadership of the Income Tax Investigation Directorate in the North West Region. Their elevation to the CBDT is expected to strengthen the board's senior leadership as it oversees the country's direct-tax administration and policy implementation.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) functions under the Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance and plays a central role in formulating policies relating to income tax and other direct taxes. CBDT Members oversee various functional areas of the Income Tax Department and assist in framing tax policy, improving compliance, administering tax laws and supervising the department's operations. The CBDT, under the Department of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, is the apex statutory authority responsible for administering direct taxes in India. Its responsibilities include policy formulation and oversight of the Income Tax Department and consists of a Chairman and up to six members. The appointments come against vacancies that arose at different points in 2026 and are aimed at filling key positions on the apex direct-tax administration body. The CBDT is responsible for policy formulation and administration of direct taxes, including income tax, and plays a key role in guiding the functioning of the Income Tax Department.
