Gurugram: Haryana has begun the process of appointing its next director general of police (DGP). It is preparing a panel of five senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers to be forwarded to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), ThePrint has learnt.
The government’s move has sparked speculation over whether Shatrujeet Singh Kapur could return as DGP. Kapur, a 1990 batch officer, was sent on leave on 14 October after his name figured in an FIR in connection with the suicide of IPS Y. Puran Kumar. Kumar’s family had refused to allow his postmortem till action was taken against those named in the FIR.
The panel prepared by Haryana government comprises five officers from the 1990 to 1993 batches of the IPS: Kapur, Sanjeev Kumar Jain (1991 batch), Ajay Kumar Singhal (1992 batch), and two officers from the 1993 batch—Alok Mittal and Arshinder Singh Chawla.
Notably absent are two senior officers: Muhammad Akil of the 1989 batch and the current Haryana DGP O.P. Singh from the 1992 batch. Both officers are scheduled to retire on 31 December, making them ineligible under the standard selection process.
This development raises questions about whether Shatrujeet Singh Kapur will continue in the DGP’s role, as the government typically does not initiate such procedures if it intends to retain the current occupant. However, retired IPS officer Prakash Singh—whose 2006 petition led to the DGP selection framework—said including Kapur’s name is procedurally correct, as all officers with six months or more of remaining service must be considered.
He emphasised that the UPSC holds discretion over who appears in the final three-name panel. The state government decides on the final name.
“Simply registration of an FIR against Kapur in the IPS Y. Puran Kumar case may not be enough to exclude him from the race, because it has to be seen how far a person is involved in the offence cited in the FIR,” Singh noted.
He added that a DGP cannot reasonably be held accountable for every incident affecting a police force with over 100,000 personnel.
How states pick DGPs
The selection of the DGP in any state follows the procedure mandated by the Supreme Court’s landmark 2006 judgment in the Prakash Singh & Others vs. Union of India case.
The Supreme Court’s 2006 ruling made several critical reforms for police administration across India, including ending the practice of arbitrary appointments adopted by several states in the selection of DGPs.
The court mandated that appointments must be merit-based and drawn from a UPSC-certified panel of the three most senior eligible officers.
The judgment also provided that the selected DGP must serve a minimum two-year tenure, regardless of retirement date.
The UPSC framed guidelines in 2009, following the 2006 order, and a 2018 Supreme Court clarification further reinforced these provisions by prohibiting states from making temporary or acting appointments to the position.
These were in a Commission order in 2019 and amended by the UPSC on 26 September 2023. The Commission further amended its guidelines on September 26, 2023.
Under the amended guidelines accessed by The Print, the normal zone of consideration consists of officers holding DGP posts in Level 16 of the Pay Matrix. That excludes two officers of the 1994 batch, Navdeep Singh Virk and his wife Kala Ramachandran, both additional director general of police, even though they have completed 30 years of service.
The list of officers sent to UPSC must include details like seniority notifications, biodata, details of disciplinary or criminal proceedings, annual confidential reports and penalties, if any.
The officer quoted above said the UPSC panel will evaluate the five candidates based on their length of service, professional records, and experience. The Commission then prepares a shortlist of three officers, from which the state government makes its final selection.
The UPSC panel comprises the UPSC chairman as its president, the home secretary of the Government of India or his nominee, the chief secretary of the state, the DGP of the state, and an officer from among the heads of the central police organisations or the central paramilitary forces not belonging to the cadre for which the selection is to be made.
The present Haryana DGP, O.P. Singh, will be part of the panel.
The amended guidelines provide that the panel shall adopt its own method and procedure for the objective assessment of the suitability of officers. The committee shall assess the ACRs of officers with reference to the last 10 years before its meeting.
The guidelines provide that the panel shall consider any penalties imposed and exclude any officer under suspension or against whom disciplinary/criminal proceedings are pending, whose Integrity Certificate has been withheld by the state government or who has been under a penalty other than “censure” during the last 10 years or a “censure” during the last three years.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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