Bhubaneswar: The suspense over selection of Odisha’s next Director General of Police (DGP) continues, with the Supreme Court on Wednesday deferring the hearing in the matter to September 7.
Meanwhile, the Amicus Curiae appointed to assist the Supreme Court has submitted his report in the case. The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the process for selection of Odisha DGP is being heard by a Bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi and Justice V Mohan.
A key issue before the court is whether the Odisha government complied with the Supreme Court’s earlier directions while preparing the list of eligible officers for appointment to the state’s top police post.
The petitioner has alleged that an attempt was made to include comparatively junior officers in the pool of eligible candidates for the DGP post, in violation of principles laid down by the Supreme Court in the landmark Prakash Singh case of 2006.The Odisha government has opposed the allegations.
During an earlier hearing, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the state government, informed the court that Odisha had already filed its response. The state has maintained that promotion of senior IPS officers is part of normal administrative process and it is entitled to send a fresh proposal to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) comprising officers who fulfil the prescribed eligibility criteria.
Under the DGP selection process, the UPSC empanels three officers from among the eligible candidates. In accordance with the Supreme Court’s directions in Prakash Singh case, factors including length of service, service record and range of experience required to lead the police force are taken into consideration.
With the Amicus Curiae’s report now before the Supreme Court, attention will be focused on the next hearing on September 7.
