KK Pathak IAS Biography: Career, Age, Batch & Family

KK Pathak is a 1990 batch IAS officer of the Bihar cadre and currently serves as Special Secretary in the Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India. He entered the service through the 1989 UPSC Civil Services Examination, though his All India Rank has never been made public.

Pathak took charge in New Delhi on 2 May 2025, about a week after Bihar relieved him as Chairman of the Board of Revenue. In Bihar, he is remembered for helping frame the 2016 liquor prohibition law and for a year of surprise school inspections as head of the Education Department.

The latest work allocation list of the Cabinet Secretariat, issued in June 2026, still names him as Special Secretary.

Quick Info About KK Pathak IAS

Info	Details
Full Name	Keshav Kumar Pathak
Profession	Civil Servant
Service	Indian Administrative Service (IAS)
Batch	1990
Cadre	Bihar
Home State	Uttar Pradesh (Gorakhpur district)
Date of Birth	15 January 1968
Age	58 years
Education	B.A. (Economics), M.Phil. (Economics)
Current Posting	Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India
Posting Date	2 May 2025
Pay Level	Level 17
Retirement Date	31 January 2028
Training Academy	LBSNAA Mussoorie

KK Pathak IAS Early Life and Education

KK Pathak was born on 15 January 1968 in Uttar Pradesh, and he is 58 years old. His full name is Keshav Kumar Pathak. The Bihar IAS civil list records Gorakhpur as his home district, while a 2024 profile in ThePrint gave his birthplace as Ballia.

Pathak studied economics, completing a B.A. and then an M.Phil. in Economics. The names of his school and university have not been made public. Although his domicile is Uttar Pradesh, he was allotted the Bihar cadre, where he has spent most of his working life.

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KK Pathak IAS UPSC Journey

KK Pathak qualified in the UPSC Civil Services Examination held in 1989, and his All India Rank does not appear in any public record. He joined the IAS as a direct recruit on 20 August 1990, trained at LBSNAA Mussoorie, and had his service confirmed on 20 August 1992, as per the Bihar civil list.

Pathak has not spoken publicly about his preparation. His number of attempts, optional subject, and study method are therefore not on record.

KK Pathak IAS Career and Postings

KK Pathak spent most of his career in Bihar. Official profiles credit him with roles in urban development, public works, home affairs and human resource development, and as managing director of BELTRON, though their dates are not public.

In November 2019, he moved to Delhi to head NHIDCL, which builds highways and tunnels in the North East and border areas. Some reports date this deputation to 2017, but NHIDCL records show he took charge on 5 November 2019. Bihar gave him a proforma promotion to the Chief Secretary grade in March 2021.

The Centre’s April 2025 order named him Additional Secretary, a title many reports still use, but official records list him as Special Secretary. He is due to retire on 31 January 2028.

Period	Position
Training Period	IAS Probationer, LBSNAA Mussoorie
Early Career	Sub-Divisional Officer, Katihar and Barh
Early Career	Deputy Commissioner, Giridih (then in Bihar)
Early Career	District Magistrate, Gopalganj
Until Nov 2019	Principal Secretary, Minor Water Resources Department, Bihar
Nov 2019 to Oct 2021	Managing Director, NHIDCL, New Delhi (Central Deputation)
Nov 2021 to Jun 2023	Additional Chief Secretary, Prohibition, Excise and Registration Department, Bihar (also Director General, BIPARD)
Jun 2023 to Jun 2024	Additional Chief Secretary, Education Department, Bihar
Jul 2024 to Apr 2025	Chairman-cum-Member, Board of Revenue, Bihar
May 2025 to Present	Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Government of India

KK Pathak IAS Reforms and Controversies in Bihar

KK Pathak has clashed with powerful people since his early years in service. In the mid-1990s, as SDO of Barh, he moved to demolish Nitish Kumar’s ancestral house at Bakhtiyarpur because it stood on the national highway. A senior RJD leader later told ThePrint that Lalu Prasad, then chief minister, had him transferred before the bulldozers could move in.

As DM of Gopalganj in 2005, he got a hospital sweeper to open a new children’s ward when a date for Rabri Devi’s visit could not be fixed. Local MP Sadhu Yadav was furious at the time, but years later he told ThePrint that Pathak had been right, since the ward was lying unused.

In 2016, Pathak ran the Prohibition, Excise and Registration Department as Bihar went dry, and PTI called him instrumental in framing the liquor law. He returned to the same department in November 2021. In February 2023, a video of him scolding a trainee deputy collector at BIPARD went viral, and the Bihar Administrative Service Association lodged an FIR against him, though BIPARD said he had apologised.

His stint in the Education Department from June 2023 drew the most attention. ThePrint reported that he stretched school hours to 9 am to 5 pm, cut festive holidays, docked the pay of absent teachers and struck 23.83 lakh absentee students off the rolls. Supporters said Bihar’s schools badly needed the shake-up. Teachers’ unions called his approach undemocratic, and Education Minister Chandrashekhar complained to the Chief Minister about his style.

Pathak took leave twice in 2024, and in June that year the government moved him out of education.

KK Pathak IAS Family

KK Pathak rarely speaks to the media and keeps his private life out of public view. Reliable details about his wife, children and parents have not been publicly reported.

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