VK Bhawra moves CAT against Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav's appointment

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

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Chandigarh, October 29

Punjab’s senior IPS officer VK Bhawra has challenged the appointment of Gaurav Yadav as DGP in the Chandigarh bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal. The application of Bhawra is listed for hearing on October 30.

In the application, Bhawra said he was a 1987 batch IPS officer. He had unblemished service records of more than 35 years.

He said he was appointed as DGP for two years on January 9, 2022. When the new state government took over, the applicant was pressured to relinquish the charge and it was perceived that he was the appointee of previous government.

He was told not to register cases against various public figures, provide security of the contingent of the Punjab Police outside the state to various dignitaries, besides various other coercive measures.

As respondents were constantly putting pressure on the applicant, he requested for a leave of 60 days in July 2022, almost six months after taking over as the DGP.

When he went on leave, Gaurav Yadav was given the additional charge of the post. He said his leave expired on September 2, 2022. However, in contravention of the provisions of the Punjab Police Act, 2007, the respondents passed an order whereby the applicant was transferred from his present posting as DGP to that of the Chairman, Punjab Police Housing Corporation, SAS Nagar.

Bhawra said the order could not be sustained as the same was illegal. He prayed before the Tribunal to reinstate him as the DGP keeping in view the recommendation of the UPSC and the order dated January 8, 2022, appointing him as the DGP for two years and further restraining the respondents from appointing or giving additional charge to the post of DGP to any other officer till he completes actual two years of service.