Stalemate over Odisha police chief, state offers temporary fix

The selection of Odisha’s new Director General of Police (DGP) has hit a legal snag, leading the state government to appoint senior IPS officer Vinaytosh Mishra as acting DGP from August 16. The incumbent DGP, YB Khurania, will retire on Sunday. This situation is unfolding as the Supreme Court hears a PIL that claims the state's selection process contravenes a pivotal court ruling.

Mishra, a 1993-batch IPS officer currently managing the CID and Crime Branch, will oversee the state’s police force until a permanent DGP is appointed. A native of Bihar, Mishra will retire in November after less than three months of service. The state government's assignment of additional charge to a senior officer is necessary to head the police force.

The PIL in the Supreme Court argues that the Odisha government did not follow the procedure set by the top court in the Prakash Singh vs Union of India case for DGP appointments. Senior advocate P Chidambaram, representing the petitioner, told the Bench that an officer was promoted and his name was added to the UPSC panel. However, the UPSC meeting to select three DGP candidates was postponed to August 18, after the court reviews the petition.

Government sources suggest Mishra is a leading candidate for the DGP post, while fellow 1990-batch officer Sudhanshu Sarangi (DG, fire services) and 1993-batch officer RP Koche (Director, Intelligence) are also under consideration. Khurania, the outgoing DGP, met Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi at the state secretariat.