SC tells UPSC to defer call on Odisha DGP pick
The Supreme Court on Thursday instructed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to postpone the process of selecting a panel of three officers to determine Odisha's next Deputy Inspector General of Police (DGP). Appearances were made on behalf of applicant Jayant Das, by senior advocate P Chidambaram, before a bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justice Joymalya Bagchi, and Justice V Mohana.
The central issue revolved around an Additional District Magistrate (ADGP) being hastily promoted to a DGP rank and included in the panel sent by the Odisha government to UPSC. This action contravened the DGP selection procedure established by the Court in the Prakash Singh judgement over two decades ago. UPSC's amicus curiae, Raju Ramachandran, requested the Court to consider the matter, while Odisha's Advocate General, Pitambara Acharya, claimed that the state had adhered to Prakash Singh directives meticulously and forwarded names of 11 DGP-rank police officers for the UPSC panel.
CJI Kant noted that none of the officers potentially excluded from the selection panel had lodged complaints. The UPSC, through senior advocate Hrishikesh Baruah, stated that the selection authority was convening on the same day, but the bench decided not to finalize the panel. Baruah subsequently informed the UPSC that they would postpone the meeting to a later date of hearing.
The Court subsequently asked the Odisha government to respond to the application, and the matter was further posted for hearing on August 18. This development means that Odisha must either retain Khurania as DGP or appoint an interim DGP until the Court delivers a final decision on the matter. The Court reiterated its guidelines for DGP selection in Odisha in September 2006, aiming to prevent political influence and set a two-year tenure for the position.
The Court has been monitoring the appointment process for DGPs over the past two decades and has been addressing applications highlighting irregularities or illegitimacies in the process.
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