Bhubaneswar: The appointment of Odisha’s next Director General of Police (DGP) has reached the Supreme Court, with a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) challenging the panel of IPS officers sent by the state government to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).
The apex court has agreed to urgently hear the petition, which alleges that the Odisha government is attempting to bypass the Supreme Court’s guidelines on the appointment of a DGP.
Senior Advocate P. Chidambaram, appearing for the petitioner before a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, submitted that the State had earlier sent a panel to the UPSC and later withdrew it.
According to the petitioner, a subsequent panel allegedly contained three DGP-rank officers and eight officers of ADGP rank. Chidambaram informed the Court that the UPSC had indicated on August 7 that it would consider only DGP-level officers.
He further alleged that an ADGP was being promoted to the DGP rank so that the officer could be included in a fresh panel, which, according to the petitioner, would violate the Supreme Court’s directions laid down in the 2006 Prakash Singh case.
Responding to the submissions, Chief Justice Surya Kant observed that the UPSC is well aware of the eligibility criteria and the Supreme Court’s directions. “We expect the UPSC to adhere to our judgment,” the CJI said.
The Court also indicated that if an allegedly ineligible panel is submitted, the UPSC should act in accordance with the apex court’s earlier rulings.
