New Delhi: Over the next three months, the Narendra Modi government is going to decide on multiple key appointments that will decide the country’s defence and security outlook.The month started off with the government finalizing the appointment of Lt. Gen. N.S.Raja Subramani (retd.) as the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), who will take over from Gen. Anil Chauhan whose tenure ends this month-end.
While speculation surrounded the next CDS, the government chose the scholar-soldier who has held multiple key appointments in both operational and staff roles with significant field experience on both the western and China fronts.
He is currently the Military Advisor, National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), headed by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. With him becoming the CDS, a new Military Advisor must be appointed and the likely candidate is a recently retired Army Commander.
The second key appointment is that of the new Navy Chief. Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan has been selected to take over as the Chief of the Naval Staff at the end of this month. He was the most senior officer eligible to take over from Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi.
With the two key appointments done, the next priority this month is that of the new director of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
CBI chief
The tenure of CBI director Praveen Sood, who has headed the agency since 25 May 2023 including his one-year extension last year, ends 24 May.
While there is a buzz that Sood may get another extension, a high-powered committee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, will decide on this or selection of a new officer to head the CBI.
The front runners for the post of CBI Director is Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) chief Shatrujeet Kapur, a 1990 batch IPS officer of the Haryana cadre, and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) chief Gyanendra Pratap Singh, a 1991 batch officer from Assam-Meghalaya cadre.
Kapur took over as ITBP chief in January after he, as the Director General of Police (DGP) of Haryana, was sent on administrative leave after the suicide of Haryana ADGP Y.Puran Kumar. Singh was brought in from Assam in January last year to oversee the anti-Naxal push.
The post of CBI director comes with a two-year tenure, irrespective of retirement age once appointed, which can be extended. While Kapur will retire in October, Singh will retire in November 2027.
Kapur has previously served in the CBI and also has experience heading the anti-corruption department in Haryana. Though Singh has not served in the CBI, he has extensive experience in the Special Protection Group (SPG), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and in counter-terrorism.
New Army chief, Army commander
Next month, the government will face two key appointment choices. The major one will be that of the new Army Chief, as Gen. Upendra Dwivedi retires at the end of June.
Going by seniority, Lt. Gen. Dhiraj Seth, an Armoured Corps officer, is the front runner to take over from Gen. Dwivedi. He was the Southern Army Commander and was brought in as the Vice-Chief on 1 April, a move seen as the natural step toward the top post.
South Western Army Commander Lt. Gen. Manjinder Singh will also retire with Gen. Dwivedi. This means a new South Western Army Commander must also be appointed.
Intelligence Bureau head
One of the key and far-reaching appointments will be that of the new director of Intelligence Bureau. Current IB chief Tapan Deka’s second extension will end next month. While Deka is eligible for one last extension, there are indications that he may be appointed to another position and a new IB chief may be appointed.
Incidentally, Deka is the longest serving IB chief after Bhola Nath Mullik, who served from 1950 to1964. Deka took over in 2022 and has received two extensions, so far.
The front runners are 1993 batch IPS officers Mahesh Dixit, Rithwik Rudra and Arvind Kumar. All three are career IB officers and have held multiple key appointments within the agency.
Since all three are from the same IPS batch, those who do not secure the top post are likely to head a Central Armed Police Force or a central organisation.
ED chief
The Centre will also appoint a new director of the Enforcement Directorate in August. Current chief Rahul Navin had taken over as the ED’s acting chief in September 2023 and later appointed as regular, full-time director August 2024.
Navin is likely to return to his parent cadre, the IRS (Income Tax), if he is not given an extension.
(Edited by Tony Rai)