State likely to get new DGP

Strap: Sahota, Chattopadhyaya front runners

Blurb: Dinkar Gupta has completed two years and seven months as DGP; his retirement is due in 2024

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, September 20

With the change of guard, the state may have a new Director General of Police.

The names of 1986 batch IPS officer Sidharth Chattopadhyaya, 1987 batch VK Bhawra and 1988 batch Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota are doing the rounds.

All these officers have more than six months of residual service, making them eligible for the post. Chattopadhyaya met CM Charanjit Channi today, sources said. The government may take a decision late at night today or tomorrow.

Sources said Chattopadhyaya was close to the new leadership in power, but Sahota was a strong candidate due to less opposition against him in the new group. With 11 months of service left, he has largely remained non-controversial.

Bhawra and Rohit Chaudhary, who have nine and seven months of service left, too, can emerge as the final choice.

Discussions were on till the filing of this report.

The CM office is also looking at procedural and legal clarity on the appointment of the DGP — whether it can change the DGP on its own immediately or has to go through the Union Public Service Commission.

The government is trying to take a leaf from the West Bengal government, which has appointed acting DGP Madan Malviya till the UPSC clears the panel of officers. It has also moved the Supreme Court, seeking revision of its order of involving the UPSC in the process of appointing the DGP.

The Supreme Court had in 2018 laid down the procedure to appoint a DGP. It said a state government has to send a panel of five or more officers to the UPSC three months before the retirement of the incumbent DGP. The UPSC was authorised to form a panel of three officers based on the candidate’s length of service, record and range of service. The SC had in March 2019 revised the orders, saying officers with six months of service can be empanelled. Earlier, it was two years of residual service.

It also ordered the DGP will have minimum two years of tenure. Dinkar Gupta has completed two years and seven months as DGP. His retirement is due in 2024.