New Haryana DGP: UPSC to select panel of officers on Aug 12
LAST MONTH, THE STATE GOVT HAD SENT A PROPOSAL CONTAINING NAMES OF EIGHT IPS OFFICERS TO THE UPSC FOR SHORTLISTING THREE SENIOR OFFICERS
CHANDIGARH: The Haryana government may appoint a new director general of police (DGP) by next week. The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has scheduled a meeting of the empanelment committee on August 12 to prepare a three-officer panel for selection of the new head of police.
The move to appoint new DGP comes in wake of incumbent DGP Manoj Yadava seeking premature repatriation to the intelligence bureau citing career consideration and family requirements. The August 12 meeting will be held in New Delhi and will be presided over by the UPSC chairman or a member.
Union home secretary or his nominee, Haryana chief secretary, the outgoing DGP and an officer heading central paramilitary organisations or central police organisations will be members of the empanelment committee.
Last month, the state government had sent a proposal containing names of eight IPS officers to the UPSC for shortlisting three senior officers. As per directions of the Supreme Court, the state DGP will be selected by the state government from among the three senior-most officers of the department who have been empanelled for promotion to that rank by the UPSC on the basis of their length of service, good record and range of experience for heading the police force.
“Once they has been selected for the job, they should have a minimum tenure of two years irrespective of their date of superannuation,” the apex court had said in the landmark 2006 Prakash Singh judgment.
The SC had in March 2019 clarified that recommendation for appointment to the post of DGP by the UPSC and preparation of panel should be purely on the basis of merit from officers who have at least six months of service prior to retirement.
On paper, seven IPS officers who have put in 30 years of service are eligible for empanelment. They are 1988-batch officer PK Agrawal, 1989-batch’s Mohammad Akil and RC Mishra, 1990-batch’s Shatrujeet Kapoor and Desh Raj Singh, and 1991- batch’s Alok Roy and Sanjeev Kumar Jain.
However, the three who will make the cut will be the actual contenders for the job.
Top officials said if one makes a realistic assessment based on service record, seniority and range of experience, then only four officers are in contention for making it to the UPSC panel – PK Agrawal, Mohammad Akil, RC Mishra and Shatrujeet Kapoor.
After shortlisting three names, the UPSC will send the panel to the state government for selecting the next DGP. The state will have the discretion to pick one officer from the panel and appoint them as the new DGP.