SC: How are DGPs appointed?

New Delhi, January 15

The Supreme Court today asked the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) secretary to personally appear before it as it wanted to know if the commission had prepared a panel of senior IPS officers for selection and appointment of DGPs in states.

The direction came after lawyer Prashant Bhushan said the lists of IPS officers are not prepared by the UPSC, but by the Department of Personnel and Training.

The court is seized of applications of various state governments, including Punjab, Haryana and Bihar, seeking to implement their local laws regarding selection and appointment of DGPs.

The Supreme Court on December 12 allowed Punjab DGP Suresh Arora and his Haryana counterpart BS Sandhu to continue in office till January 31. Both were due to retire on September 30, but Punjab and Haryana had given a three-month extension till December 31. The top court had passed the interim order on applications filed by the two states seeking modification of the order making it mandatory to take assistance of the UPSC in shortlisting names of officers for selection of DGP. 

Punjab and Haryana have enacted their own laws for appointment of DGPs.

On July 3 last year, the SC directed all states and UTs not to appoint any acting DGP. — TNS