Inform about panel to name top cops: SC to UPSC secy
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday asked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) secretary to personally appear and inform the court if the commission prepares a panel of senior IPS officers for director general of police (DGP) appointments by state governments.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi sought the presence of the UPSC secretary at 10.30am on Wednesday to ascertain whether the commission makes a panel of senior police officers who are considered for appointment as DGPS.
The direction came after lawyer Prashant Bhushan said the lists of senior IPS officers are not prepared by the UPSC but by the department of personnel and training (DOPT).
The apex court was hearing applications of various state governments, including Punjab, Haryana and Bihar, seeking to implement their local laws regarding selection and appointment of DGP.
The apex court had on December 12 last year, extended till January 31 the tenures of present DGPS of Punjab and Haryana and agreed to hear the states’ pleas seeking to implement their local laws regarding selection and appointment of the police chief.
DGPS — Suresh Arora (Punjab) and BS Sandhu (Haryana) — were due to retire on December
SC WAS HEARING A PLEA BY PUNJAB, HARYANA AND BIHAR SEEKING TO IMPLEMENT LOCAL LAWS TO APPOINT DGP
31 last year and now they will remain in office till January 31 as per the earlier order of the apex court.
Several states are seeking modification of the apex court’s earlier order directing all the states to mandatorily take the assistance of the UPSC in shortlisting the names for appointing DGPS.
The top court, on July 3 last year, had passed a slew of directions on police reforms in the country and chronicled the steps for appointment of regular DGPS.
It had stated that the states will have to send a list of senior police officers to Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) at least three months prior to the retirement of the incumbent.
The commission will then prepare a panel and intimate the states, which in turn will immediately appoint one of the persons from that list.
Besides, Punjab, Haryana and Bihar governments two other state governments of Kerala and West Bengal have said they have already framed a comprehensive law, dealing with the procedures to appoint the DGP, in pursuance of the 2006 apex court verdict on police reforms.
The apex court, while deciding the PIL filed by two former DGPS Prakash Singh and NK Singh in 2006, had issued several directions, including setting up of a state security commission, to ensure the government does not exercise unwarranted influence on the police.
It had said the appointment of DGPS and police officers should be merit-based and transparent and officers like DGPS and Superintendents of Police (SPS) should have a minimum fixed tenure of two years.