Himachal Pradesh Chief Secretary Prabodh Saxena was set to retire on March 31, 2025.As March 30 and 31 are holidays, a farewell party was scheduled for Friday (March 29). However, just hours before the event, he was granted a six-month service extension. The development takes everyone by surprise as the Himachal IAS Officers Association organised a farewell for Saxena on Friday night. Highly placed sources said the letter granting extension had been received from the Union Department of Personnel and Training. The cap and muffler to be presented to Saxena after the Cabinet meeting held late in the evening were also sent back. Saxena, a 1990 batch officer, was appointed Chief Secretary on January 2, 2023.