New Delhi, Oct 14 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Monday granted a week’s time to the Jharkhand government to file its response on a plea challenging the “ad hoc” appointment of acting Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Gupta by the Hemant Soren-led JMM government in Jharkhand.
A bench of Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud and Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra was hearing a plea filed by one Naresh Makani, who sought contempt action against respondents for wilfully and deliberately disobeying the orders passed by the top court over the appointment of the top police official in the state.
When the matter came up for hearing, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Jharkhand government, sought time to file a reply.
Senior advocate Madhavi Divan, appearing for petitioner, requested the court to take up the case within a week else the matter would be rendered “mission accomplished” for the respondents.
The next hearing will take place on October 21, 2024.
On September 6, the top court had sought a responses of the state government and Gupta on the plea, which alleged non-compliance of a 2006 verdict of the apex court and subsequent directions mandating consideration of several procedures, including selection from a list of three senior most IPS officers of the state prepared by the Union Public Services Commission (UPSC).
Divan had submitted that the appointment of 1990-batch IPS officer Gupta (as acting DGP) was in violation of the Prakash Singh judgment of 2006 and subsequent directions of the apex court.
“The respondent number 1 (Jharkhand government) while wilfully and deliberately disobeying the orders of this court has issued a notification dated July 25, 2024 appointing the respondent number 2 (Gupta) to the post of acting DGP, Jharkhand on ad-hoc basis which is in contempt of judgement/orders dated September 22, 2006, July 3, 2018 and March 13, 2019 passed by this court in Prakash Singh v. Union of India ,” the plea stated.
The Jharkhand government’s actions were alleged to be violative of the legal framework set forth by the top court besides being accused of undermining the principles of equality and non-arbitrariness.
By the said notification, the then DGP (Ajay Kumar Singh), who was appointed out of the panel recommended by the UPSC, has been relieved from his duties, the plea alleged further.
The petitioner claims to be a public-spirited individual and a Jharkhand resident. He contended that the notification in question appeared motivated by “political interest” and was likely to have “significant and long-lasting” consequences. PTI PKS AMK PKS AMK AMK
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