 In September that year, he was appointed a deputy secretary in the Department of Supply, rising to the rank of full secretary by 1945.In the 1946 New Year Honours list, Patel was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire (CIE).One of his benefactors was a member of the erstwhile ICS & former chief justice of the Patna high court

Patel became Home Secretary under Vallabhbhai Patel in 1946, serving till 1950.