New Delhi, Sept. 22: The Centre today fixed a minimum tenure of two years for the defence secretary, home secretary and the chiefs of the Intelligence Bureau, RAW and the CBI, disappointing many bureaucrats eyeing these posts.

The cabinet decision means an incumbent will complete two years in the post even if he attains retirement age before that.

Some bureaucrats welcomed the move, saying it will help maintain stability and secrecy in administration, but most saw it as a blow to the careers of many bright officers and hinted at moving court.

A few months ago, the cabinet had shied off the same decision for fear of annoying the civil and police services.

Today’s decision comes barely eight days before RAW chief P.K.H. Tharakan was to retire. Home secretary V.K. Duggal, IB director E.S.L. Narasimhan and defence secretary Shekhar Dutt, due to retire in November and December, also benefit.

Government insiders said the move followed a recommendation by national security adviser M.K. Narayanan, who is looking to revamp intelligence operations and wants continuity.

A senior bureaucrat, however, alleged: “This has been done to help the IB and RAW chiefs, who were to retire soon. The home secretary and defence secretary have benefited by default as the cabinet would not have liked to expose their blatant favouritism.”

“There is already a loose consensus among us about filing a public interest litigation as it scuttles the progress of at least 12 to 16 senior and deserving officers who would have made it to the top,” a senior Indian Police Service officer said.

The decision has also made bureaucrats in other ministries unhappy.

“How can you say only home and defence secretaries need fixed tenures? For some people, the HRD ministry can be more important, for some space and technology. The government should do it across ministries or not at all,” a senior IAS officer said.