Shimla, Sept. 7 -- Chief secretary Prabodh Saxena was granted extension on request of the state government citing "public interest". This was stated by the Union of India while responding to the PIL filed by petitioner Atul Sharma seeking cancellation of the government's March 28, 2025, order granting Prabodh Saxena a six-month extension as chief secretary, despite a pending CBI chargesheet against him. The Union government had told the high court that chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had sent a request for recommending the grant of extension in service to Saxena, who was serving as chief secretary to the Government of Himachal Pradesh for a period of one year. Prabodh Saxena, the 1990-batch officer, was given a six-month extension in March this year. Saxena, who was due to retire on March 31, himself broke the news at his farewell dinner organised by the Himachal IAS Officers Association on March 28 night. Saxena, who is considered close to Sukhu, took over as the chief secretary of the state on December 31, 2022. "The CM had sought extension of 1 year citing that he is executing various projects in the state in public interest. Resultantly, the competent authority had granted the extension to the serving chief secretary for a period of six months, which was in consonance with the rules," read the reply filed by the Union of India while responding to the PIL filed by petitioner Atul Sharma. The division bench of the HC directed state government to deposit the cost of Rs 5 lakh imposed for disaster relief. This direction was passed by division bench while taking up the application for modification of order June 20 by which a cost of Rs.5 lakh was imposed on the state for delay in issuing notification appointing HP RERA chairman and member. The HC by its September 4 order, said, "The order dated June 20, is modified to the extent that the costs of Rs 5 lakh which was imposed upon the state government, be deposited with the registrar HC within a week"....