UPSC shortlists 3 names for post of DGP, over to Haryana now
Bhartesh Singh Thakur
Chandigarh, August 10
A Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) empanelment committee today shortlisted three IPS officers — Muhammad Akil (1988 batch), Dr Ramesh Chandra Mishra (1989-batch) and Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor (1990 batch) — for selection of the next Director General of Police (DGP).
The state government will now choose one of the three names for the top police post after a formal letter is received from the UPSC.
Muhammad Akil is presently holding the charge of Director General Prisons, Dr Ramesh Chandra Mishra is DGP-MD, Haryana Police Housing Corporation (HPHC), and Shatrujeet Singh Kapoor is Director General Vigilance.
Former DGP Manoj Yadava, who is presently on Central deputation and is posted as Director General, Railway Protection Force (RPF), had recorded his unwillingness to join back the state cadre. He is the senior-most Haryana IPS officer. In 2021, too, he had expressed his unwillingness.
A member of the UPSC chaired the meeting today. Haryana Chief Secretary Sanjeev Kaushal and current Haryana DGP, PK Agrawal, whose term is ending on August 15, was part of the empanelment committee. Two representatives were from the Union Home department.
Haryana had sent the names of nine IPS officers in July, who had completed at least 30 years of service, as on the date of occurrence of the vacancy. Besides Akil, Mishra and Kapoor, the names of Desh Raj Singh (1990 batch), Alok Kumar Roy (1991), OP Singh (1992), Ajay Singhal (1992), Alok Mittal (1993) and AS Chawla (1993) were also sent.
According to the Prakash Singh judgment, the DGP shall be selected by the state government from amongst 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, very good record and range of experience for heading the police force”. The judgment also stipulates that once he has been selected for the job, he should have a minimum tenure of at least two years, irrespective of his date of superannuation.
The judgment prescribed that the DGP could be relieved of his responsibilities consequent upon any action taken against him under the All India Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules or “following his conviction in a court of law in a criminal offence or in a case of corruption, or if he is otherwise incapacitated from discharging his duties”.
