IAS officer Divya Mittal has spoken publicly for the first time since voluntarily resigning from the Indian Administrative Service, making it clear that the decision was deliberate and not the result of pressure or any sudden “trigger moment”.
Speaking to India Today, Mittal said she made the decision after carefully weighing her priorities, personal interests and family responsibilities. “The IAS job is merely one chapter of my life, not my entire existence,” she said.
The 2013-batch Uttar Pradesh cadre officer, who has served as District Magistrate of Deoria, Mirzapur and Sant Kabir Nagar, is currently posted as Special Secretary in the Board of Revenue.
In the social media post announcing her resignation, Mittal called her 13 years in the IAS an “unforgettable journey” and thanked the experiences, colleagues and people who had been part of her career.
WHY DID DIVYA MITTAL RESIGN FROM THE IAS?
Mittal said the decision was not made impulsively. She explained that she had reflected on her priorities, personal interests and responsibilities towards her family before deciding to leave the service.
A mother of two daughters, Mittal said she wants to balance her family commitments while also exploring some interests she has pursued for a long time. She said her future could involve writing, teaching or social service, although she has yet to decide on a specific path.
She emphasised that the IAS had been a significant part of her life but did not define her entire identity.
‘I WANTED TO REPAY MY DEBT TO THIS SOIL’
In her resignation note, Mittal looked back on her modest upbringing and her early ambition to build a successful career. She studied at IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore before moving to London for work.
She worked with JP Morgan, while her husband and former IAS officer Gagandeep Singh Dhillon was employed with Citi Group. Despite establishing successful professional lives and earning well abroad, the couple eventually returned to India after feeling that something was missing.
Mittal later joined the civil services. She cleared the IAS examination with an All India Rank of 68 on her second attempt in 2012, while Dhillon cleared the civil services examination on his first attempt.
FROM DEORIA TO MIRZAPUR
During her career in Uttar Pradesh, Mittal served as District Magistrate in Deoria, Mirzapur and Sant Kabir Nagar.
She said her various postings gave her lessons that extended beyond administrative work. According to Mittal, her time in Deoria taught her that standing up for what is right is a responsibility, while her experience in Mirzapur showed her that “impossible” is not a fact but an opinion.
She also spoke about her experiences at the feet of Goddess Vindhyavasini in Mirzapur, saying they helped her understand that genuine strength comes not simply from holding a position, but from divine grace and the confidence placed in an individual by the public.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT TO DIVYA MITTAL'S RESIGNATION?
Mittal’s resignation is currently pending. The final decision will be taken by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs after the Uttar Pradesh government sends its recommendation.
Her resignation has also renewed attention on her husband, Gagandeep Singh Dhillon, a former IAS officer who left government service in 2022 while serving as Joint Director General in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Both Mittal and Dhillon studied at IIT Delhi and IIM Bangalore.
For Mittal, leaving the IAS represents the conclusion of one phase of her career rather than the end of her broader ambitions.
