CAT ruling to hit 28 DGPs, HC told

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 26

No less than 28 Directors General of Police (DGPs) throughout the country will have to go consequent to the Central Administrative Tribunal’s order setting aside the appointment of Dinkar Gupta as the Punjab Police chief, the Punjab and Haryana High Court was told today.

The hearing in the matter could, however, not make much headway in the absence of notices to Dinkar Gupta, former police chief Suresh Arora, Union Public Service Commission, the State of Punjab and other respondents on two more petitions listed for hearing today.

Taking up the matter, the Bench of Justice Jaswant Singh and Justice Sant Parkash fixed the case for further hearing on March 5 after issuing notice to the respondents on two fresh petitions filed by the UPSC and DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya.

The Bench made it clear that the stay on the operation of the impugned judgment was already in force, while adding that piecemeal hearing in the matter was not advisable and proper hearing was not feasible in the absence of notice on the two petitions.

The Bench was told that UPSC guidelines had been followed 28 times across India while making guidelines, but the CAT, Chandigarh, had held those to be illegal. It was added that the CAT decision would have an impact on the procedure being adopted by the commission in selection of DGPs across India. The guidelines were not Punjab-specific and 28 DGPs would have to go in view of the impugned judgment.

The Bench, after hearing the contentions, observed that the UPSC had also filed a writ petition against the findings recorded by CAT inasmuch as the guidelines providing the procedure had been held to be illegal.

DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya had also filed a separate writ petition levelling allegations against former DGP Suresh Arora, who had participated in the proceedings by the empanelment committee.

Faced with the situation, it was expedient to seek formal reply after notice. Keeping in view the urgency, the Bench added it was inclined to issue “a very short notice”, while adding that piecemeal hearing was not advisable.

Dinkar Gupta case

• The HC was told that UPSC guidelines had been followed 28 times across India, but CAT, Chandigarh, has held those to be illegal
• So, the order setting aside appointment of Dinkar Gupta as Punjab Police chief will affect no less than 28 DGPs across the country