The Telegraph reports that in early January, before US President Barack Obama's visit to India, Sujatha Singh was prodded with an offer - the government would give her a constitutional post if she resigned from the position of foreign secretary.

A constitutional post - membership on the Central Information Commission or the Union Public Service Commission - would have come with an extended tenure till she turned 65.

Singh, who will turn 61 in July, replied that she needed three days to decide. But in the end, she turned down the offer - in the belief, an official close to her said, that the government would respect her decision.

"Neither she nor others expected she would actually be pushed out this way, so unceremoniously," the official said. "She thought her decision would be respected, and she would be allowed to complete her term."