Lucknow: On May 13 this year, the Uttar Pradesh government appointed an acting Director General of Police (DGP) without consulting the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) as directed by the Supreme Court. Now, after four months without a DGP, the state has sent a list of around 40 IPS (Indian Police Service) officers to the UPSC for consideration for the top cop post in the politically important state, ThePrint has learned.
The UPSC sent some queries and comments on some names last week and the state government is “looking into them”, government officials confirmed to ThePrint.
In compliance with Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelinesAn IPS officer should have completed a total of 30 years of service to be considered for promotion to the post of DGP.
UP IPS Analysis upgrade A list by ThePrint shows that a total of 40 IPS officers in the state meet this criterion.
“The list of all the officers who have completed 30 years of service has been sent along with comments about them. The senior-most IPS officers in UP are those who have completed 34-35 years in service, but as per rules, all officers who have completed even 30 years are on the list,” a senior central government official told ThePrint.
However, caretaker DGP Devendra Singh Chouhan remains the Yogi government’s top choice for the post, government sources told ThePrint.
A senior official said, the names have been sent in such a way that Chouhan remains in the top three names bracket. “He is the frontrunner for the position,” the official said.
The current Director General (Civil Defence) Mukul Goel, who was rotated The reasons for alleged “disregard for official duty”, “lack of interest in departmental work” and “inaction” from the post of DGP on May 12 are also mentioned in the list as he is the senior-most officer in the state. in the ranking list.
Goyal, who completed 35 years in service on January 1, 2022, is currently the senior-most officer in UP. Hence, his name has also figured in the list, but with a note about his previous stint as DGP, which ended when he was transferred to the Civil Defense Department,” an official source told ThePrint. Told.
Although some reports mentioned that a total of 42 names have been sent to UPSC including 20 Director General rank and 22 Additional Director General rank officers, sources in the Chief Minister’s Office have not confirmed the exact number.
Following a landmark Supreme Court judgment on police reforms in 2006, the UPSC got into the process of preparing a panel of eligible officers for the post of state DGP.
Senior Supreme Court lawyers told ThePrint that the appointment of an acting DGP by the UP government was against the spirit of 2006. Prakash Singh Decision on police reforms, the state can use Aadhaar to remove the DGP to defend its decision.
Speaking to ThePrint, senior Supreme Court lawyer Kumar Mihir pointed out lapses in the implementation of the judgment.
“Prakash Singh’s decision was directory and not mandatory. It was like a wish list of what the states should do for police reforms instead of taking concrete steps. None of the directions of the decision on police reforms have been implemented by the states. The judgment made it clear that there cannot be a temporary officer for a post as important as the DGP. This appointment of acting DGP is unusual, but UP has removed the officer on certain grounds, so he can use these grounds.
Cut-off date deciding factor in DGP selection
Selection of DGP has become a subject Conflict In many states like West Bengal, Punjab and Maharashtra. According to sources, the deciding factor will be the ‘cut off date’. To be eligible for the post of DGP, an officer not only needs to have at least 30 years of service behind him, but also has at least six months of service remaining as on the cut-off date.
For example, in Punjab, former Punjab Pradesh Congress President Navjot Singh was Sidhu’s top choice officer. eliminated Former DGP Dinkar Gupta’s last day in office, after UPSC has decided to set the cut-off date as October 5, 2021. The officers in question were due to retire in March.
In the case of UP, if the UPSC considers the cut-off date as May 12 – when former DGP Goel was superseded – the senior most officers including Goyal, DG (Police Training) RP Singh, DG (CB-). CID) Gopal Meena, DG (UP Police Recruitment and Promotion Board) RK Vishwakarma, Acting DGP DS Chauhan, Anil Agarwal (on central deputation), DG (Prison Administration) Anand Kumar will be the frontrunners for the post.
“It depends on what the UPSC decides. If she decides to go by the example of Punjab, she should take 12 May as the cut-off date. This will make most of these officers eligible for selection in the final panel recommended by UPSC to the state government. However, if it decides to take the date as the recommendation is sent, DG Gopal Meena will be out of the race,” an official source told ThePrint.
“But then, it must be recognized that the opposition Congress was in power in Punjab, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power in UP. The UPSC decision will clear the air soon,” the source said.
Meena is retiring in January 2023, RP Singh in February next year and DGP DS Chauhan in March 2023.
Former UP DGP Vikram Singh told ThePrint that UPSC takes into account several aspects like professional seniority, track record, confidential ‘character list’ (deeds of officers), Annual Confidential Reports (ACR) and ethics.
“UPSC usually takes a decision within 21 days of receiving a proposal from the state for the appointment of a DGP,” he said.
(Edited by Jinnia Ray Chowdhury)