Suspense over Odisha’s next police chief as Supreme Court halts UPSC selection meeting till August 18

Odisha's next police chief remains shrouded in uncertainty as the Supreme Court has delayed a meeting of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) until August 18 to deliberate on a petition challenging the selection process. The delay follows a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) arguing that the state government was flouting rules in choosing the DGP.

The UPSC was originally set to meet on Thursday to select three candidates, from which the state would appoint one. The state government had initiated the appointment of the new DGP after incumbent YB Khurania, a 1990-batch officer, retired on August 16. Initially, a panel was submitted to the UPSC in April but was later withdrawn.

A second panel comprising three DG-rank officers and eight additional DG-rank officers was sent to the UPSC in May. However, this list was also withdrawn ahead of the UPSC meeting on August 7. In response to the petition, two ADG-rank officers - Sanjeeb Panda and Yeshwant Jethwa, both from the 1994 batch - were promoted to DGP rank by the Odisha government.

Panda, who heads anti-Naxal operations and special intelligence wing, is seen as a frontrunner, while other contenders include 1990-batch officer Sudhanshu Sarangi and 1993-batch officer RP Koche. The PIL alleges the state government is circumventing the rules for appointing the police chief, with the court's landmark judgment in Prakash Singh vs Union of India cited as proof.

Odisha's Advocate General refuted these claims, challenging the PIL's maintainability. The government is awaiting legal advice before deciding on the next steps following Khurania's retirement.