Govt faces tough choice for next DGP

Pradeep Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 6

With Director General of Police (DGP) BS Sandhu and four other DGP-rank officers retiring by October 31, the Haryana Government faces a tough choice in selecting the next state police chief.

The government’s choice for the next DGP will be further limited by a Supreme Court’s recent judgment which said the states would now have to send names of senior police officers to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) for being considered as probable candidates for the DGP’s post.

Among the names sent by the states, the UPSC would prepare a list of three most suitable candidates and the states would be free to appoint any one of them as the police chief, the SC had said.

Sandhu and other DGP-rank officers — AK Dhull, RP Singh, Sudhir Chaudhary — retire on September 30, while another senior officer KK Sharma’s tenure ends on October 31.

Parminder Rai, a 1982-batch IPS officer and DG (Vigilance Bureau), is the senior-most police officer in the state. Already superseded twice, Rai could be out of contention this time too as the SC judgment said the “officer appointed as the DGP should have a reasonable period of service left”. Rai retires on January 31, 2019.

The second most-senior officer, SS Deswal, who retires on August 31, 2021, is on Central deputation as the ADGP, Shashastra Seema Bal (SSB). KP Singh, the former DGP and currently working as DG (Prisons), was replaced by Sandhu. He is set to retire on June 30 next year.

This leaves K Selvaraj (1985 batch), BK Sinha, KK Sindhu and PR Deo (all 1986 batch) as probable candidates for the post of the next DGP.

5 DGP-rank officers to retire by Oct 31 

• Parminder Rai, senior-most police officer, to retire on January 31, 2019
• SS Deswal, second senior-most officer, on Central deputation
• KP Singh, former DGP and currently working as DG (Prisons), retires on June 30, 2019
• Incumbent DGP BS Sandhu and four other DGP-rank officers to retire by October 31, 2018