Will the cardinal principle of seniority be again in the reckoning as the government begins to look out for a new Cabinet Secretary in view of Pradeep Kumar Sinha completing his extended tenure in June this year? If that happens, the incumbent Petroleum Secretary, Kapil Dev Tripathy (IAS:1980: AM), stands a good chance as he would be the last one from the 1980 batch to retire. This simple fact may bolster his prospect. Of course, Union I&B Secretary Narendra Kumar Sinha (IAS:1980: BH) is ahead of Tripathy on the seniority list, but he would retire 13 days ahead of the completion of PK Sinha's tenure. Generally, though, it is believed that Hasmukh Adhia (IAS:1981: GJ) may be appointed the next Cabinet Secretary. However, there are two factors that raise doubts over Adhia's selection. First, the top decision maker of the country is known for a popular rhetoric: 'jo mai kehta hun wo karta hun, aur jo main nahin kehta hun wo jaroor karta hun'. Whatever that means... Secondly, the NaMo administration remains unpredictable in its selection of top officers. So even if Adhia is seen as a strong arm of the administration, one can never be sure about his appointment to the top post.