R.P.S. Kahlon, the 1984 batch Bengal cadre IAS officer has been promoted to the rank of additional chief secretary - a month before his retirement on April 30. Although Kahlon was arrested from a Calcutta hotel in March 2016, he is on bail and the haven't filed a charge sheet against him in the alleged bribery case. It is said there was resentment among state IAS officers about the manner in which he was arrested. His promotion as an ACS was due from 2015. He has been elevated so that he gets the benefits post-retirement, said a senior officer. It is pointed out that the officer could not be denied the promotion as there were no departmental or court proceedings against him. So when a post of ACS fell vacant on March 31 after the retirement of Saurav Das, he was given his due. As Kahlon would now retire as the ACS, he will be entitled to a higher pension as the rank is in the apex scale. In Bengal, there are only 14 ACS ranks out of 370-odd sanctioned posts for IAS officers.