The Union Cabinet on Thursday cleared a fixed tenure of two years for defence secretary, home secretary and chiefs of Intelligence Bureau and Research & Analysis Wing.

The Cabinet at its meeting in New Delhi approved the amendment to Fundamental Rule under which an officer, who is attaining the age of retirement before the completion of two years, would be allowed to complete two year's tenure, Information and Broadcasting Minister S Jaipal Reddy told reporters.

"No rule applies automatically," he said adding, government would take decisions in each case.

The Cabinet decision came barely eight days ahead of completion of an extended tenure of RAW Chief P K H Tharakan, who was to retire on September 30, after getting a three month extension on June 30.

Asked why the foreign secretary's post was not included in this list, he said, "These are operational in nature and not policy-oriented." 

While Home Secretary V K Duggal and Director Intelligence Bureau E S L Narasimhan are due for retirement in Novemeber 2005, Defence Secretary Shekhar Dutt's term ends in December 2005.

The move comes in the wake of the government's decision to restructure and streamline intelligence operations, especially of RAW, which faced an embarassment after the escape of a senior RAW official to the US in 2004.

Central Bureau of Investigation Director U S Misra will be completing his two-year term on December 6, 2005. The Supreme Court had directed that the tenue of CBI chief should be for a minimum of two years in view of the sensitive nature of the assignment.

The government has aleady changed existing rules to provide a two-year term for the cabinet secetary.

In the amended rule, it has been stipulated that the government may give extension to these top officers "if considered necessary in public interest to do so" for such periods as it may deem proper "on case to case basis".

It said this was subject to the condition that the total term of the incumbents who are given extension in service does not exceed two years.